Make More Money Selling Your Home By Planting A Little "Green"

There’s a saying in real estate, “Plant a Little Green, Make A Lot of Green.” (From a CRS newsletter)

Beautiful Flowers Fill A Front Yard

Since spring is here, I’ll be doing a series about things you can do to dress your home up and get it ready for the party, oops, I mean a home sale.  The series will be called “Make More Money Selling Your Home.”

My last post said to get your camera and take photos of your yard while there’s spring and summer color. I suggested taking photos so you’d have them available when you decide to sell your home, after all you may need to sell in the depths of winter.  Remember in January your yard looks like it’s died a slow death.  Everything looks so bleak and uninviting.

This post is for those of you who have work to do in your yard first, before you take the photos. It’s for those of you who must plant a little green, to make some green. It’s for those of you who need to do some yard cleanup and painting.  And it’s for those of you who have never thought about planting anything before.  You’ll need to get that garden equipment out and get to work.  I know you don’t want to bother, but you will make more money whenever you sell if you have some great photos of your yard. Street appeal is everything when you want to get people inside your home.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Keep it simple. Clean up your planting beds or, if you’re lucky, pay someone to do that. Then plant some annuals right now and take some photos. Winter pansies and ranuculus work really well and are simple and easy.   Winter pansies cost about $1.49 each. Plant 15 annuals, take photos, total planting time should be 30-45 minutes.  I just did this planting bed below, so I know the cost and the time. You don’t even need a green thumb to do this.  I don’t have a green thumb.  You don’t even have to worry about maintaining the plants on a long term basis (because they are going to die since they are annuals), but you can plant these plants easily for a little money.  If you have more planting beds,  you should plant more flowers.

The Planting Bed Before

The Planting Bed After, Filled With Color

Don’t want to do anything now?  Geraniums and other annuals are coming soon.  So take a little time this spring or summer and think a little green.  It will make you more money when you sell your home.