Simple garden improvements to make your home easier to sell

Simple garden improvements to make your home easier to sell

Homeowners are being offered ten simple garden improvements to help get their home off the market.

The outdoor experts at GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk have revealed ten top tips to help those who are unsure of how to spruce up their outdoor space when putting their home up for sale.

Image credit: Pexels

As the housing market currently faces buyer difficulties, transforming an outdoor space is one of the most effective ways to make a house stand out from the rest of the competition.

There are various ways to spruce up a garden, from simple jobs such as clearing up weeds and debris, to putting in the work by adding a patio space which can greatly boost the value of a home.

A spokesperson for Garden Buildings Direct said: “Updating your outdoor space to fit what a buyer is looking for can be a tricky task if not thought out carefully.

“With the state of the housing market leaving sellers in a slight state of panic, it’s important to explore different ways to update your outdoor living space and make your home stand out for potential buyers.

“Simple tasks such as cutting the grass down to two and a half inches, as well as giving the fence a fresh coat of paint, can transform your garden into a buyer’s dream.”

Here are the handy garden improvements by Garden Buildings Direct to help make your home more attractive and sell quicker:

1. Clear up the weeds

Start by digging up the weeds that may have been left to overgrow while the rainy weather has taken over. Mulch is also a great way to control excessive weed growth and, if applied correctly to overgrown areas, it can instantly improve the look of a garden.

2. Mow the grass

This is a simple task which can often get overlooked, but it’s vital to make sure the garden has a clean appearance to attract potential buyers. If the grass is neat and cut down to around two and a half inches, then it shows that the space is well maintained and means less work for the new owner to put up with.

3. Tidy up the space

First impressions always count and if your outdoor space is full of broken chairs or litter scattered around the garden, it could quite easily put people off from buying the property. To make the space tidier, make sure to clean up any excess debris, rake fallen leaves and trim the hedges.

4. Complete unfinished work

When people are coming to visit the property, unfinished work can stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure there’s no rusty nails sticking out of the garden shed or, if an outdoor building is incomplete, get on top of repairing it before putting your home on the market. Buyers won’t want to inherit the projects you didn’t finish!

5. Dress up outdoor furniture

Having outdoor furniture is typically a must-need for outdoor lovers who want to make the most of relaxing in their back garden. To improve any existing furniture, add some pillows to brighten up the space. If the furniture is worn out, either hide the unpleasant seating areas with a lightweight blanket or replace the guilty furniture entirely.

6. Add a standout feature

If you’re selling a space, you want to make sure it leaves a lasting impression on the people looking to buy the property. Having a standout feature such as a water fountain or a cobblestone sculpture can not only enhance a garden’s appearance, but it can also help people visualise how the space might look with their own ideas.

7. Minimalistic decorations

Simplicity is key to refining an outdoor area and decorating the area with a minimalistic aesthetic can help create a clean canvas for potential buyers. This will let them picture how they want to use and adapt the garden space. Using neutral colours such as greys, blacks and wood tones are best suited to fit this modern theme.

8. Repaint fences

Apply a fresh coat of matte black paint to your fence to enhance a modern look in the garden. You could take this further by placing some fairy lights around the fences to create a cosy atmosphere and add a homely touch to the outdoor area. Buyers will feel the cosiness themselves and want to spend more time there.

9. Add a patio space

Having an outdoor entertainment area can instantly boost the value of your home as potential buyers can view how the space can work for all types of occasions. It can be used all year round, from soaking up the sun during summer to gathering around a firepit to roast marshmallows or enjoy a few drinks in winter.

10. Stage the stylish space

Get the garden prepped and ready to showcase to people looking to buy the property. Having the area staged will help to highlight its best features which can help to attract buyers, as having an unfinished garden can sway people away due to the fear of high maintenance costs. Set it up so it looks like you’re just about to host a party or soiree.

Leicester TV

Dreamed It. Did It. Helping Adults Rediscover Childhood Dreams

Dreamed It. Did It. Helping Adults Rediscover Childhood Dreams

Memorable and sustainable Christmas gifts for the workplace

Memorable and sustainable Christmas gifts for the workplace

Red launches NEW EVO PRO Waterproof Changing Robe, with now industry leading 15k waterproofing and 8k breathability

Red launches NEW EVO PRO Waterproof Changing Robe, with now industry leading 15k waterproofing and 8k breathability

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Housing shortfall calls for public-private collaboration

Housing shortfall calls for public-private collaboration