In today’s tough seller’s market, homeowners are looking for as many ways as they can to make homes stand out of the crowd. During the winter months, many sellers focus on the interior of a home to make it stand out. While the ground is blanketed in a thick layer of snow, improving the exterior of the home doesn’t make a lot of sense. Many buyers don’t linger outside and other features like a patio or deck are difficult to sell as important features when they’re unusable. However, as spring arrives, sellers must shift gears and the exterior of the home often becomes its biggest seller.

As the weather starts to warm here in Aurora and surrounding Fox Valley communities and the snow starts to disappear, homes that have particularly nice exteriors begin to shine. If your home features a big yard, beautiful garden, nice patio or deck and other fun summer features such as a three-season room, you are now entering the best time to show off these important assets. Perhaps one of the best ways to do this is through landscaping.

Landscaping, when done properly, is one of the easiest, most cost-effective way to get your home to stand out and also perhaps one of the biggest factors in creating buyer interest. It’s no secret that “curb appeal” can make or break a sale right from the beginning. As spring approaches, sellers should be carefully planning out how to use landscaping to help generate potential buyers.

The biggest dividends in helping a home look “homey” can often be some of the cheapest - flowers. Almost everyone loves the look of a nice bed of growing flowers around the home, even if they don’t particularly like to garden. If your home doesn’t have any ready places to plant flowers around the outside of the home, a good investment would be several hanging or free-standing pots full of nice bright spring flowers spaced strategically around the entrance. If you have flower beds, now is the time to make sure the leaves are cleaned out and a fresh bed of mulch is laid.

If you have a patio or deck, consider bringing out the patio furniture even if it’s still a bit too cold to enjoy. These spots are also great locations for plants - either potted or planted around. Make sure they are kept clean and neat at all times. A patio or deck can be a huge asset when selling a home.