As a realtor, you are probably a great “people person” who is really good at meeting your clients’ needs by understanding what it is they’re seeking. There is a huge customer service aspect to Big Sky and Bozeman real estate and you know that much of your success comes from keeping buyers and sellers happy.
That being said, there are certain things that are out of your control—or maybe out of your wheelhouse.
For instance, even if you’re really great at staging an interior to sell a home, you might not be sure how to keep the exterior of the home in pristine shape. To do that, you know that you need horticultural and landscaping experience.
You might be someone who is fantastic at multitasking, communication, and client care, but you can’t do everything. You need to partner with professionals who can fill in the gaps and ultimately make you look good in the process.
Here are some ways that partnering with the right landscaping company in Bozeman or Big Sky, MT can help you look great to your clients and ultimately sell more homes.
1. A Landscaper Can Help Upgrade First Impressions
Whether you are assisting clients in buying or selling homes, Big Sky and Bozeman realtors like you know that curb appeal has the power to make or break the sale of a home. It sets expectations. If potential buyers pull up to a home and the outside is a mess, it sets a bad tone from the very start—and that could impact the entire experience.
Of course, even if it’s not messy, but just boring or subpar, the landscape could also be a downfall. Just like people make a first impression in 5 to 7 seconds of meeting someone, those same principles apply to their judgement on a potential home. If it’s a bad first impression, it could negatively impact their final decision.
Instead, you want to make a fantastic first impression with some serious “wow factor” that’s not only going to make a sale more likely, but may impact the amount. Some studies have shown that homes with “high curb appeal” sell for an average of 7% more than similar houses with uninviting exteriors.
To achieve this, it’s likely going to mean upgrading what may already be there. That’s because standard construction landscapes are pretty boring.
The truth is, many developers have a limited plant palette for a few reasons. They’re trying to install plants that are inexpensive, easy, and readily available. In their defense, they likely don’t have a lot of horticultural experience or background so if they know a few cheap ornamental grasses have worked well in the past, they’ll just stick to using those again and again. That often means producing a bunch of cookie-cutter and boring front landscapes.
If you really want to “wow” your clients with amazing landscapes, you need to partner with a horticultural expert who can help create designs that wow. It doesn’t have to be a huge investment, but it should require thinking out-of-the-box. After all, your clients are probably looking for a property that stands out when everything is seemingly starting to look the same.
2. A Landscaper Can Add Color for Memorable Wow Factor
Color that really makes the front of a home “pop” can boost curb appeal significantly. Besides looking beautiful, front yard color can also be welcoming and memorable—two factors that are really important when it comes to trying to sell a home.
If you’re not able to change what’s already planted in the ground (or perhaps you don’t want to get into doing any sort of installation work that requires digging), you can still add bursts of bright color using containers.
Big colorful containers with annuals make a fantastic first impression.
It’s important to note that this does not have to be season dependent. While spring and summer are thought to bring the most colorful blooms, with some horticultural knowledge and experience, you can have containers that are able to make an impact year-round.
At Blanchford Landscape Group, we create container gardens for our clients that we can rotate seasonally. That even includes the winter, which is thought to be a barren time when generating “wow factor” is challenging. In the winter months we use a lot of evergreens and sometimes even dried flowers to create interesting containers that have texture, color, and appeal even when there’s nothing in bloom.
With a little bit of help, that means you don’t need to let the season stand in your way of making a sale aided by curb appeal.
3. A Landscaper Can Make Sure Maintenance is Ongoing
As we mentioned already, when potential buyers pull up to a messy home, it sets a terrible first impression. But maintenance is not a once-and-done task. Since a landscape is an ever-evolving, living thing, each properties’ landscape needs are going to change over time. You have to make sure that those needs are kept up with.
Big Sky and Bozeman realtors know that anything “negative” that happens during a property visit can leave a lingering “bad feeling” when clients think back on that property. Ultimately, that’s going to impact their buying decision. The last thing that you want is for buyers to walk up to a home and get scratched by branches which have not been pruned, or even worse, not even be able to see where the walkway is located because plants are so overgrown. In the same way, a lawn or landscape beds that are filled with more weeds than healthy grass/plants is going to be a major turn-off.
Of course, there are also those nightmare scenarios such as realizing too late that there’s a massive wasp’s nest right by the front door and witnessing a client get stung. Whether you are representing the home seller or the potential buyer, you know this could kill the sale. This is the type of problem that could have been prevented if the property was being maintained regularly and there had been a professional keeping an eye on any trouble brewing (such as wasps building a nest!).
Unfortunately, many of these issues are not “quick fixes.”
The trouble with rushing to clean up a property (instead of maintaining it over time) is that it could end up looking like a hack job. In reality, a messy property can’t be transformed overnight. It really does need to have ongoing maintenance. This is why it’s beneficial to partner with a landscape company who can perform these tasks on an ongoing basis.
That’s not to say that some last-minute tasks couldn’t be performed if you have an important showing or an open house. A landscape partner who is willing to go above and beyond, such as sweeping the driveways and brushing off the porches, is one that understands the value of helping you make that amazing first impression you’re hoping for with your clients.
4. A Landscaper Can Be a Valued Connection to Pass Along
Big Sky and Bozeman realtors like you are often valued by home buyers and home sellers for your uncanny ability to be an endless resource. You are someone who knows everyone. That means if a client has a problem they need solved, you know just the right professional for the job!
You’re a person that’s connected.
That can even be a selling point. When home buyers see a property that is meticulously maintained with a beautiful landscape, then they know you have the “go-to person” for their landscaping needs. That removes the guesswork and even the time and research involved in finding a pro on their own. This is particularly helpful for clients who may be relocating to Montana or using the home as a vacation getaway.
If a potential buyer client loves how the property looks, they know that they can continue working with your landscape partner for a seamless transition into the home. The property will continue to look and perform optimally because you’ve already set them up with the ideal professional for the job.
By being a helpful and valued resource who has access to the best professionals, it ultimately makes you look like a winner.
Partnering with a Landscape Professional You can Count On
As a realtor, you have a lot on your plate. You’re busy keeping up with clients’ wants and needs, showing homes, selling homes, and making “perfect matches.” And while you might be an expert at helping make the interior look its best, you may need some help boosting curb appeal and making the exterior shine.
This is where Blanchford Landscape Group would love to help you.
We value the long-term and ongoing relationships that we have with Big Sky and Bozeman realtors like you. We understand that our work can help you to sell homes and we take that seriously. We also know that if you have a last-minute need, such as an unexpected big showing, that you need someone you can rely on.
You can count on us.
In the end, it comes down to having a partnership with a landscape professional that you can trust to deliver excellent results and service. At Blanchford Landscape Group, we are proud to be the type of landscape company that other professionals in our area have come to know and trust for their outdoor needs.
If you’re a realtor in the Bozeman or Big Sky, MT area and would like to learn more about how we can help on your next project, let’s connect. We love partnering with winners and would love a chance to succeed together.
