Where do you live? How much sun does the yard get and what exposure is it? I would do mulch or landscape stone between the house and patio and create some definitive beds in a few areas. What is your timeline to be in the market?

Located in Portland, OR. The yard does not get the best sun exposure due to trees so would have to get a shade tolerant grass. New lawn (sod) and is ~$3K given that they would have to remove the top few inches of soil and bring new stuff in, then level it all off. Another option we were looking at was to just fill ~ half of the yard w gravel and a put a stone fire pit but don't know how much that would cost. Timeline is as soon as possible. we need a bigger house urgently :)

Don't fill any ground with gravel! Rake everything smooth, get lots of mulch on ground that's just dirt, get a nice looking patio set and a few potted plants for the new patio and then put up your for sale sign. A lot of gardener's are inspired by empty ground and weeds don't scare off most people.

Learn to say no to your realtor

You just finished the patio but I see a pile of bricks as large as the pad of pavers?!! They need to be used or removed. Why did you embark on a patio when selling?! I think I agree with Donald. Is Portland different than the rest of the country and has a suppressed housing market?? #1 rule of selling is CLEAN IT UP. #2 Do all MAINTENANCE. A patio is a personal choice the next buyer may or may not be interested in. Tidy up, haul all the wood/bricks/anything sitting around out and call it good.

If ASAP is in a week or two then definitely just clean up, rake everything out, edge the beds and throw some mulch down, get some furniture on the patio with some color. Good luck!

"Learn to say no to your realtor"

The best advice you could receive! Spending a lot of money to spruce up a landscape before listing for sale is just throwing it away. You will not recoup it in the sales price and the new owners will want to change it anyway to make it their own. Just clean and tidy, level soil piles, mulch where necessary, stage the nice new (but quite small) patio with a table and chairs and maybe add a pot or two of seasonal color to draw the eye. Done and dusted!!

IMO the patio is way too small for anything other than maybe 2 chirs it should have been done so that from the steps out and to the end should have all been one width. Yes I agree the yard needs work at this time of year maybe sod depending on where you live . I agree the landscaping is going to not be a selling point but make sure all the debris, is cleaned up the beds mulched and work on making the interior amazing. Clean and then clean again fix anything not working , remove personl items , paint if it is needed declutter every room and especailly the kitchen and bathrooms , clutter means there is no space for stuff , always a turn off for buyers.

Lots of mulch in strategic places. Would create some beds as well and plant some annuals. Clean up and tidy up as much as you can. If you have any trees with strong low branches I would install a kids swing as well to make it more inviting.

I would've preferred a blank slate over the landscaping "improvements" that I moved into..except for the clutter your yard is pleasant and not a deal breaker for me..

Clean & stage accordingly. Add a few chairs, side tables, throws/pillows, lanterns, potted mums, maybe some twinkle lights - make it a cozy/comfy spot for outdoor hangouts. My neighbors redid their entire patio/yard (we live in the city so it was only 30ft x 20ft), but they said it cost a small fortune. New couple moved in & their first project was to rip everything out & re-do it.

Portlander here . . . there is a shortage of homes for sale (see recent Oregonian article) and the market is hot. Your realtor is nuts. Like I said above . . . mulch.

Thx all! After reading your comments what we'll probably do is a perimeter of mulch (maybe 4ft wide and around the large trees). we'll also put a swing up on that thick branch of the corner tree. I should have mentioned that rectangle area between the stairs and the patio will be filled with 6 concrete tiles to put the grill. And then a lot of effort cleaning and hauling everything up after all the jobs are done!

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