Why Shrubs Should Come with an Expiration Date

Do y'all have any idea how dated old landscaping can make your property look?  Staging starts with curb appeal.  Buyers have to appreciate your house from the outside before they want to invest time looking at the inside.

Here's the front of the a house I recently consulted on. This is the picture after the the sellers had it landscaped according to my recommendations.  Notice the house looks bigger without the offending shrubs.

S. Brooks

Here's my before picture. The scrubs cover half of the windows. Big no-no. We are selling those windows and the view. Let the sunshine in.  Plus, scrubs look shoddy when they get 'trunky' on the bottom, see-through in the middle, and thick at the top.   Boxwood require time and attention for thinning as they grow. This Boxwood hedge is not attractive. (BTW, never make bushes flat on top.)

StagerLinda

Inside of a Boxwood that has surpassed its shelf life. (USDA)

Look at Your Property Through Buyer's Eyes
These sellers have a very large lot.  I walked the seller out to the edge of his property on the street side.  "Try to look at your house objectively.  Notice how the overgrown bushes and trees flanking the front door obstruct the front of your house?  Now, imagine the front of your house without the overgrown shrubs and the trees cut back."

Mr. Seller had a "BINGO" moment!  He was accustomed to seeing the dated landscaping.  He said, "It would never have occurred to me to remove the shrubs!"

High-Five, Mr. Seller.  Good work.