You’re ready to sell your house… just put a “For sale” sign out front, right? Well, first you may want to make sure your home has good curb appeal. Why? Because first impressions can make or break your sell.

“If people drive by your home and are not impressed, they’re not going to walk inside,” Dick Gaylord, who has sold real estate for 27 years, told HGTV in an article about “Which Home Improvements Pay Off ?”

So when you’re thinking about curb appeal, keep these principles and tips in mind…

Landscaping. Regular Tulsa lawn maintenance is one of the most important aspects of curb appeal. A healthy and well-maintained landscape is not only appealing to buyers, but also indicates to buyers how you’ve taken care of the actual home as well.

“Residential landscape maintenance can add as much as 14% to the resale of the home and speed up the selling process by as much as six weeks when it is time to sell,” the Chapel Valley Landscaping Company of Maryland wrote in an article. Landscaping can also help to maintain the property value of the entire neighborhood, the article said.

What can you do? Regular lawn care includes not only mowing but also trimming of shrubs and trees, managing weed control and overgrowth, as well as regular irrigation. In addition to keeping your landscape well-manicured, you can plant more trees or shrubs in your yard. A simple way to add curb appeal is to add mulch to your flower bed, and plant colorful new plants of various sizes in your landscape to create interest and as a way to elegantly lead buyers to your front door.

Hardscapes. Creating an inviting walkway and driveway is very important to curb appeal. Make sure your walkway and driveway are in good condition or replace an old walkway with pavers to create an elegant path to your home. Driveways can also be stained or stamped to create more interest and appeal. The Tulsa landscaping contractors at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your hardscaping needs.

Outdoor Lighting. While most potential buyers will see your home during the day, some may not. For those who see your home at night, it will look much more inviting with even simple landscape lighting. Even during the day, exterior light fixtures and landscape lighting elements add character and charm to the home, as well as a feeling of safety.

Little Touches. There are several other small enhancements you can do to dress up your home. Repainting or refinishing your front door (maybe in a bright color like red, green, or yellow) can give your entire house a fresh look and create a focal point. Replace worn hardware, trim, and fixtures. Also, adding decorative house numbers can be a nice, inexpensive touch. Adding decorative hardware or even a trellis to your garage door is also a nice decorative feature.

For help with your regular Tulsa lawn maintenance or if you want to renovate your landscape to add greater curb appeal, call the Tulsa landscaping contractors at Oklahoma Landscape.

For more information on ways to add curb appeal, check out http://www.diyncrafts.com/5415/home/150-remarkable-projects-ideas-improve-your-homes-curb-appeal/5.