Getting the garden ready to sell
What buyers notice in the photos and at the open home, what building inspectors look for outside, what to leave alone, and how to time the garden work.
The assumption we're testing
“I'll throw down some mulch the day before the photos.”
Buyers see the garden first
Most buyers see your house online before they see it in person. The front garden is often in the first photo. The backyard is often in the second. A tired garden says the house hasn't been looked after, even when it has.
The good news is that most of what matters is simple. A garden doesn't need to be new to look cared for. It needs to look tidy, green and easy to live with.
What matters in the photos
A green lawn with clean edges. Edges along paths and beds make more difference in a photo than almost anything else.
Beds weeded and freshly mulched. Dark mulch makes plants stand out and hides bare soil. Hedges and shrubs trimmed back from paths, windows and the front door, so the house can be seen.
Clear paths and a clean entry. Add a few healthy plants in pots by the door. Take away dead plants, old pots and anything stored down the side of the house.
What building inspectors look for outside
Buyers often get a building and pest inspection. Some of what the inspector notes is in the garden.
They look for garden beds or soil built up against the house walls. They look for water pooling near the house and retaining walls that lean. They look for timber touching the soil, which can draw termites. Uneven paths and loose pavers get noted as trip hazards.
Pull garden beds back from the walls and clear any blocked drains. Fix trip hazards before the inspection. If something bigger turns up, like a leaning wall, it's better to know early. Don't cover a problem up to hide it. Tell your agent.
What to leave alone
Don't start a big rebuild. A half-finished garden looks worse than a tired one, and buyers may want to put their own stamp on it.
Don't plant lots of tiny plants. They look sparse in photos. A few bigger plants in the right spots do more.
Don't lay new turf too close to the photo day. It needs time to settle in, and a lawn with visible seams looks rushed. Our guide on when to lay turf explains how long each season takes.
Timing it right
Work back from the photo day, not the auction. Bigger work like turf, planting and fixing drainage goes first, so it has time to settle. Mulch goes on in the last week or two. Mow and edge a day or two before the photos, and again before each open home.
If you're short on time, a one-off tidy-up from our garden care crews covers the basics. For fresh beds and better soil, see planting and soil. Tell us your photo date when you ask for a quote, and we'll plan around it.
Want it done once, and done right? We check the ground first, then plan the work.