Working With A Landscaper To Get a Garden That Sells
Any property owner should understand the value of a well kept lawn and landscape. Not only do such things add to their enjoyment of the property but to its ‘curb appeal’ as well. There is nothing worse than being known as the owner of the ‘terrible lawn’ in the neighbourhood, the one that everyone complains about (but behind your back).
When it comes time to put a Waterloo Region home on the market for sale, a good garden can help ensure your asking price is met while a terrible one can be a real deal-breaker for a would-be buyer. After all, if the exterior of the home doesn’t look great why bother venturing inside to see the rest at all?
Why Pay For Gardening Help?
That is why more and more homesellers are turning over the ‘sprucing up’ of their lawn and landscape to professionals. In the beginning it is all about organization. Seeing a beautiful garden layout in a magazine is one thing, but as many an amateur gardener has discovered, actually replicating it is very difficult.
Managing a landscape in any location properly takes a lot of knowledge and skill. You need to know what plants and flowers will thrive in the area you live in and when is the right time to plant, how the local climate will affect everything you do, how to spot, and treat, common diseases that, when it comes to lawns especially ,all properties tend to have some regionally unique ones.
There is also the time involved. One of the biggest reasons that people hire a landscaper is that they simply do not have the time to do it all themselves, even if they have the basic knowledge to do so. Lets face it, if you have been at work all day the last thing you really want to have to do is haul out the lawnmower because the grass is looking a little ragged and your Realtor is due to show the house in the morning.
As is the case for any service, it pays to take the time to research your choices if you decide that hiring a landscaper is for you. Don’t be swayed by flashy advertisements for the big companies either, sometimes employing a small company, or even just a one man or woman concern can be a better choice. Ask your neighbors for a recommendation, and if they can’t help ask your Realtor, we usually know of at least one or two reliable sources of landscaping help.
Getting The Garden You Want
There are some things that any homeowner can do to help ensure that once they have found the right landscaping service that they actually get the fabulous results they are hoping for.
If you begin working with a lawn and landscape company and just give a vague, verbal order to ‘landscape the front of my house’ or ‘fix my lawn’ that opens up all kinds of possibilities for misinterpretation.
While a good lawn and landscaping service will immediately be able to spot some problems and certainly make some suggestions as to how a unique property could be improved, they still need the customer’s input to make sure that they get it right and create a garden that the property owner loves as much as they do. Landscapers are many things, but psychic is not one of them!
Before a lawn and or landscaping job or a service contract begins, take a few minutes to photograph your landscape yourself. Take shots that highlight the problem areas you expect to be fixed and that document the things that you want eliminated. Use them to create a little wish list of the features that you wish your landscape had that – and didn’t have – that you can share with the company so that you can get the results you are hoping for as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. If you have seen a garden in a magazine you like show the picture to the gardening crew and let them tell you what is and isn’t possible (and then take their sage advice)