If there is even a sliver of a chance you will add your home to the Houston listings any time within the foreseeable future, there is one key feature that’s all but impossible to improve quickly when it comes time to sell: the lawn. Even though it can be key to framing your offering in a positive light, when your attention is focused elsewhere on your home’s myriad décor and mechanical features, the lawn is easy to overlook until you’re ready to stage the hero shot: the curb appeal photo. It frames the presentation. If it conveys neglect, it can spoil the show.
This month began with Realtor.com recognizing a lawn’s importance with a short video with the accusatory title, “Here Are All the Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Lawn.” It’s aimed at preventing some of the all-too-common ways homeowners unintentionally damage what should otherwise provide a rich, welcoming green setting for their house. Five major failings are singled out:
1. Improper watering. From a baseline of just one inch of water a week (only aimed at areas experiencing “good rainfall”, more frequent attention to dry areas is a must.
2. Planting one type of seed. Mixtures prevent failures spawned when summer’s likely “tough weather conditions” occur.
3. Ignoring the soil. Aeration every couple of years is recommended, as is testing the soil to ensure proper fertilizer is used.
4. Improper mowing. Grass shouldn’t be mowed when wet, and cut no more than a third of its height, leaving 2.5” to 3.”
5. Overlooking stressors. The ability “of grass to thrive” is threatened by a host of common conditions, from heavy foot traffic that compresses the soil to “loving your lawn to death” via over-fertilizing and over-watering.
Well-meaning mistakes can be impossible to do much about at the last minute, so June is an opportune time to develop the habit of paying regular close attention to a home’s potentially valuable Houston listing asset: a green space that’s invitingly healthy. Even before it gets close to adding your property to the Houston listings, I hope you’ll call Rinnovare Realty, LLC at (832) 445-4957 or visit us at www.rinnovarerealty.com , to discuss other real estate “stitches in time.” Often, they really do “save nine”!