I think you have already answered your own question. Do you feel a one day exercise splitting the budget between labor and materials will make a significant difference, or actually help the house sell? I see way too many cheap landscape jobs done here right before a house is put on the market, and they usually fail to impress anyone. I'd suggest that a good garden cleanup, pruning, weeding and some nice pots at the entry are better alternatives than trying to do anything added to the garden on such a low budget. If you have the time, have the owner spend more time watering the lawn to green it up, and maybe use a weed and feed fertilizer...

If there is an irrigation system and you could put in lots of fast growing, heat tolerant annuals such as Cosmos, going over the top with lots of color and new compost/mulch could make the shrub borders pop.

Thanks! I think I'm going to repatch some St. Augustine, add pots by the front door and the back apartment entry, take out the crappy edging in the front bed and add annuals.

the clients have another house just outside of town on the lake and their budget for that one is $4500. I think if I'm smart, this niche could be tapped. It's not big money from any one job, but it's easy and quick and the housing market right now is really hot.

thanks for your input!

Jenny

Calliope said: "We see an untapped niche, for people who are putting realty on the market, but the dollars and "sense" aren't there for landscaping because a seller is very cognisant of that economic point of diminishing returns. What do buyers look for? Nine times out of ten, just like inside a home they look for clean/neat/kept-up and potential. Unkempt spells out neglect and hidden problems and speaks volumes about what one could expect inside the house."

Agreed. My gardening business falls into this niche and Realtors all the time are saying "oh yeah! we need that! We forget about the outside" but people are rarely willing to pay for it. They'll mow the lawn, but how expensive is a flat of pansies?

So I agree that cleanup and tidying and generally making things look nice is the order of the day. Think about what you wouldn't want to take care of right after buying a house, or what would turn you off when you were looking at property, and get rid of those things (you mentioned crappy edging). Then throw in some annuals and mulch for that homey, finished look. Leave out splurge items (large tree, specimen plants) that would just draw attention to the fact that the landscape is bare or unfinished. Sort of the equivalent of white walls inside a new home.

This is how we end up with so many less than desirable results. It's hard enough to find someone reliable to mow a vacant home up for sale, let alone to pretty one up, so some poor lawn mower person ends up agreeing to do it. Please, when thinking annuals to dress it up consider if they'll be watered! A very plain neat yard is a better selling point that one with dying plants! The average home stays on the market much longer than between rains.

"Please, when thinking annuals to dress it up consider if they'll be watered! A very plain neat yard is a better selling point that one with dying plants! The average home stays on the market much longer than between rains."

However , from my POV it can't hurt to spend $200 for the bang of annuals /tropicals for initial showings and the initial listing week. It *might pay off in terms of selling the home quicker. And if not, then it's not too much $ wasted.

So..I agree with you all about going for neat first, but spending a bit on annual/tropical color is worth it too. WHo knows, maybe the flipper *would make sure things stayed watered....you don't know for sure there will not be watering happening.

Can you get annuals in August?

Yes, I can still get some annuals right now. they're not in plentiful supply, of course, but I have two nurseries that are very close by and I plan to just pick up whatever they have that will coordinate with the house.

I submitted a bid for the job and it sounds like I've gotten it, so we'll see how well I pull this off! I'm willing to give it a shot; it's easy work in the grand scheme of things. I'll let you know!

Jenny

I used to carry annuals sized up into four inch pots until the fat lady sang. Here, the market has changed enough they didn't fly well so don't anymore. That's the difference between independants and box stores. I don't change the seasons a month in advance.

What I was getting at TXJennie is I don't think there is a thing wrong with planting annuals for some bling but here, a house seldom sells at the initial open house and is likely to sit on the market a few months. Somebody has to maintain these plants and dead plants look worse than no plants at all. This is another good little niche for garden maintenance. LOL.

I hear you. There's no irrigation system, so that is a huge consideration. I'm with you; I'd rather see plainer mulched beds that don't have a lot of plants or color than see dead stuff. At least it looks tended to, even if it is not too inspiring!