If you’re putting your home on the market, be sure to pay attention to the outside, too. At the least, you should cut the grass, weed the beds and fill the flower boxes.

According to Holly Cuny, editor of Garden Center Magazine, “Freshening up a landscape makes a home sell faster – 15 days faster in one case…. Bob Degner [director of a Market Research Center], took a sampling of ‘ugly’ yards and had them renovated by landscape professionals. He then asked real estate agents to estimate before and after values based on photos.

“His findings: ‘If you want to sell quickly, add a lot of color into the entire yard. If you’re looking at the long-term payoff, emphasize trees and shrubs that will get larger over the years but be sure not to create an overgrown look.'”

Holly Cuny, editor, “The Weekly Dirt” in Garden Center Magazine  (071098)