Putting your best garden forward at home opens

By Sara Fitzpatrick

JUST as presentation of a property on the inside is vitally important to the perception of its value, so is the presentation of the outdoor areas.

Real estate agent Niki Peinke shared her tips on putting your best garden forward during home opens.

“It is a psychological fact that people see more value in well-presented areas because they use the presentation as an indication of the value,” Peinke said.

“Strange, but true. A beautifully presented room or garden is ‘worth more’ than a badly presented one. Same room. Same garden.”

What is the most important thing homeowners need to think about when getting their gardens and outdoor spaces ready for home opens?

Space, colour and ‘enjoyability’. It’s about making the area look as large as possible and as appealing as possible, which usually involves greenery and colour. So, cutting back overgrown trees, mulching garden beds, adding colourful plants, pressure-spraying paved areas are musts.

Top tips

• Mow the lawn
• Make edges pristine
• Buy interesting artwork for any blank walls
• Add a bench or furniture to indicate that the area is used all the time for entertaining. I always have a bottle of Blue sapphire gin, some lemons and glasses on a tray with a good magazine or book on a table where possible.
• Music playing is a must
• Add colourful pots where it may be a bit barren
• Get rid of all toys and play equipment such as trampolines, as these are an assault on the senses in any garden

Specific tips for people with courtyards

Same rules apply to courtyards as far as making them look as big as possible. There can be too much greenery in a courtyard, thereby making it look small, so I suggest cutting greenery back, adding colourful pots if there is none, pressure-spraying, hiding airconditioners behind lattice, hiding hoses and really anything that isn’t attractive.

What mistakes do people make?

Leaving toys and play equipment is one of the most common mistakes I see.