Charleston gardens sell homes
Curb appeal is important and when you are selling Charleston real estate, it matters a lot when you are selling your home.
I had an interesting Saturday as we were on the short list for a second showing of a listing in my neighborhood and at about the same time as that showing was going on, I had to open up the house for a showing by another agent who didn't have a lockbox key card. Since they were both around the house at the same time, I stalled the second agent until the first agent and her buyer finished looking and I said hello to them and thanked them for their interest in my listing on their way out of the house. Then I opened the house for the second agent and went back to my home. As I arrived, I saw the first agent and her buyer coming out of my next door neighbor's house for sale which would also have been on the short list of second showings.
That was a mouthfull. Are you confused yet 
Of course I said hello, small world and all, and I avoided all talk about either listing. What did we briefly chat about? The geraniums on my front porch. They really are beautiful and we have kept them alive and thriving for over 3 years by covering them with towels any nights in winter that it might be cold. The buyer and her agent were lavishing compliments about my geraniums and my landscaping in general. I knew right then that my listing was going to get the offer.
How did I know? My neighbor who is selling her home doesn't do much gardening and while her house is very nice on the inside, it just doesn't have any curb appeal, just about 6 or 7 bushes and a couple of flowers. In addition to being a very nice home on the inside, the listing I'm offering is wonderfully landscaped. I just sensed that the garden mattered to the buyer. And the good news was, about an hour later, the phone rang, it was the agent advising me that she was bringing an offer on my listing.
We negotiated back and forth and came to an agreement and had a ratified contract in time for dinner.
Buyer and seller are happy. 
Tips for sellers. Your garden says a lot about your home. If your house has great curb appeal, it invites prospective buyers into your home with positive feelings about what they will find inside. When you are selling, make sure your lawn is cut and edged, trim your bushes and shrubs, add fresh pine straw or mulch and plant lots of flowers for color and add several nice flower pots as a welcoming touch.
Free report: Preparing your home for sale