As long as the outside of my property isn’t some kind of hellscape that might be featured on some reality TV series about bad neighbours, does it really matter what it looks like? Do I need to hire some landscape design company in Melbourne to come along and turn it into a show garden?

While the outside areas of your property don’t exactly need to be award-winning, there are actually many good reasons for you to take notice and invest some time and money into making them look their best.

Making a First Impression with Buyers

You may think that it sounds cliche, but in fact first impressions do matter a lot, and especially if you’re trying to sell your house. In fact, many buyers will base any concept of an offer for your property based on their initial impression. For example, if they get a terrible first impression, there’s very little chance that they’ll make an offer at your asking price, and certainly not in excess.

Besides looking bad, a poorly managed outside area of your home also says one thing to buyers, which is: “you’ll have to spend thousands on me to get me looking the part again.” Not all buyers are enthused by the idea of a “fixer-upper.” Some people might relish the challenge, it’s true, but there’s a limit to how much neglect is reasonable.

Keeping the Neighbours On-Side

Whether you’re selling your property or not, having a good relationship with one’s neighbours is of critical importance. If you’ve ever watched any of those reality TV shows about neighbours from Hell, then you’ll know just how miserable a poor relationship with even a single neighbour can make one’s life. If you’re the neighbour with the dilapidated yard full of junk, dead trees and grass, a broken-down car and/or some other nonsense, then you’re even likely to be that neighbour from Hell.

Cleaning up the outdoor space and sprucing it up a bit helps everyone in the neighbourhood. Everyone benefits from wider kerb appeal when all the homeowners in the street are making the effort. That’s what “community” is all about.

Increasing Property Value

A well-presented exterior — front and/or back — can perform something of a miracle to your home’s value. You can expect anywhere from a 5- to 20-percent increase in home value when you have a nice-looking home exterior. It’s all about knowing your market, too. A garden is a nice feature with universal appeal, but think about it more carefully, if you can.

If and when you decide to sell, are your buyers mostly married couples with kids? Wouldn’t they love to see an area laid out for kids’ play? Or how about a swimming pool? Or a tree house? Another winner is an outdoor patio and dining area, perhaps with a spot one can plonk their grill and get barbecuing! Tailor the space to your target buyers and watch them fall in love with your property.

Adding a New Dimension to One’s Home

Creating a beautiful and usable outdoor space also simply makes a family home far more liveable, doesn’t it? A swimming pool, or kids’ play area, a nice garden to stroll around in and take in the morning air while you enjoy coffee, or an outdoor dining space for dinner on warm spring evenings? Heavenly! If you want to get the most out of your home, you should invest into every space.

It Doesn’t Take as Much as You Think

Finally, sprucing up your outdoor spaces doesn’t have to cost as much as all that. Sure, digging and installing a swimming pool can be expensive, but laying a patio, planting trees and flowers, or just tidying up the space to make it look neater and more presentable do not.