by Sean Hess, broker and manager, St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about “cheap fixes” to make a home sell faster. Beyond the obvious (it has to be priced right), and beyond a fresh coat of pain (which always helps), the next step is curb appeal.
The fastest way that I know of to boost curb appeal is to hire a landscaper.
A landscaper can come in and plant some shrubs, small trees, ground cover and flowers, as well as thin out and trim existing plants all for under $1000. If necessary you can even hire someone to take care of the lawn and the trimming until the home sells.
Voila! Instant curb appeal.
Even if you’re in a patio home where the lawn maintenance is done for you, it might be worth your while to hire someone. In this case they would be doing the work that a patio crew normally does not do: trim back branches from windows (which will lighten the house) and fertilizing plants that need special attention (certain ornamental palms), for example.
