“April showers bring May flowers.” And May flowers bring … home buyers! The fact is, one of the easiest, most effective, most affordable ways to power-up the curb appeal of your “For Sale” house this month is to beautify it with gorgeous May flowers. Why does curb appeal matter so much? Because, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, curb appeal typically allows you to add from 7 to 14 percent to the price you’re asking for your home. A pretty decent Return on Investment!
May Flower Power
So what types of flowers should you use to enhance curb appeal? And how should you showcase them in the most buyer-attracting way?
To get authoritative, Central-Maine-specific answers, we reached out to Beth Warren, a certified Master Gardener in Winslow. “For their beauty, popularity, and aesthetic impact, I would suggest using pansies, roses, lilacs, azaleas, and/or rhododendron—all of these work really nicely,” Beth said.
We asked her how she would suggest presenting the flowers. “If you have a front porch,” Beth replied, “you can put hooks up for hanging flower baskets, or you can use ‘shepherd’s hooks,’ which are the large flower-basket hooks you put in the ground. Flower baskets and hooks are readily available at local stores such as Agway, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or your local gardening center.”
She also suggested buying or growing flowers to be placed in hanging baskets. “Wave petunias are a good choice, because they are pretty and like sun. Lots of folks in Central Maine also choose geraniums, because they are hardy and like sun and heat, without needing a lot of water.” If you have a portion of your house mostly in the shade, Beth said, Boston ferns, begonias, and/or impatiens make a lovely addition to shaded hanging baskets or other flower presentations.
Flower Containers, Potted Plants, & Window Boxes
Three other ways to enhance curb appeal with flowers is by using flower containers, window boxes, and/or potted house plants such as palms, ferns, or ivies, Beth said. These can be easily positioned to beautify either side of your front porch steps or places in your driveway such as either side of a garage-door opening. If you aren’t a gardener or simply don’t have time to grow your own flowers, any home store or garden center will have flower-arrangement containers already made up for you.
Finally, Beth said, don’t forget to spruce-up old-fashioned window boxes, if you have them. Depending on whether a window box is primarily in the sun or shade during the day, use the flowers mentioned above (for example, geraniums in a sun-drenched window box; begonias in a shaded one) to quickly and easily add vibrant appeal to your house. Then sit back and let all those beautiful, eye-catching flowers work their magic!