Curb Appeal: Doing The Work

To improve the curb appeal of your house, set a budget, consult with a design professional and create a new landscape plan.  Design help can come from a landscape architect, landscape contractor or nursery professional, and there can be considerable overlap among the services they offer.  A landscape architect is the senior professional who has met rigorous educational and licensing standards and is trained to handle projects of all sizes. You don’t have to be doing a large project to get design help from a landscape architect.  Some enjoy doing small residential projects, and can oversee them from design to completion. Creative, money-saving design ideas, material recommendations and knowing which contractor(s) to use can more than justify the cost of hiring a professional.

Typically a landscape contractor does the physical work of landscaping.  There are firms of all sizes, and some can offer turnkey services. Landscape contractors have varying education, abilities and experience. Inquire about credentials and references.

Some nursery professionals have a degree in horticulture and/or the North Carolina Certified Plant Professional designation, while others are self-taught and have become expert through years of practical experience. Plant knowledge is crucial to creating a design that helps you sell. A few of these experts are also well-versed in landscaping strategies for real estate marketing and can guide you to plant selections with impact.

The first decision is whether you want turnkey services, or if you want to reduce costs by doing some implementation yourself, and applying the savings to the cost of materials. For very small projects with a short time frame, it doesn’t pay to make things complicated.

Cost-saving ideas for home sellers:

• Request a simple plan, excluding plant recommendations or cost estimates.
• Specify budget-friendly solutions with impact that can be achieved within your selling time frame.  
• Get your own cost estimates.
•  Take your basic plan to the nursery and ask them to suggest plants.  It’s usually less expensive.
•  Do as much of the implementation work yourself as you can.  
• Consider using an experienced landscape architect who is starting a private practice. The rate may be lower in order to build business.
  

Smart Selling Tip:
When implementing your curb appeal strategy, consider your budget and timetable, and how much work, if any, you can tackle. Creative, money-saving solutions from professionals can offset the cost of design and create much better curb appeal.