Why Chip Gaines Says Lawn Upgrades Should Be The First Step Before Selling Your Home

Selling your house is a massive undertaking and one that comes with a seemingly endless list of action items. Whether it's deep cleaning the basement or finally climbing up on your ladder to change out lightbulbs, you might find it dizzying to know precisely where to direct your energy. It may, therefore, come as a surprise to find out that everyone's favorite contractor, Chip Gaines, recommends focusing your attention not on fixing up the interior of your home, but rather on upgrading your lawn before selling your house.

First impressions matter a lot, Gaines says, and since you approach a home from the outside, the easiest way to boost your home's curb appeal is to invest in the appropriate upgrades there. "I'm serious when I say that the mailbox is important to me, the landscape around the mailbox is important to me, the walkway is important to me, the landscape around the house is important to me," Gaines told The Spruce. If upgrading your lawn is something you want to add to your pre-selling to-do list, you should direct your attention to what gives you the most "bang for your buck," in Gaines' words. This could mean laying new sod or adding plants that truly draw the eye to your home. Even those who are on a tighter budget or short on time can achieve stellar results with lower hanging fruit, such as pulling weeds or providing some TLC to the current lawn.

Gaines' recommendation to upgrade your lawn is worth heeding; the right landscaping could increase your home value by up to 28%, making it well worth the investment. That being said, you'll want to ensure that your efforts are not wasted, so choosing the right upgrades is imperative. For maximum curb appeal, look at the health of your lawn: is it lush and dense or visibly struggling? If it's the latter (and if you're trying to sell your home soon), you might want to opt for laying new sod, as this will yield dramatic results quickly. First, however, be sure to explore drawbacks you should know before using sod in your yard. The biggest potential challenge associated with new sod is the cost, which can be thousands of dollars, but there's also the risk for the sod to not take to the soil. In order to avoid this outcome, be sure to work with a reputable sod-laying company.

Selling a house is expensive enough without biting off massive improvements that are thousands of dollars, but Chip Gaines' helpful advice is for DIYers, too, who can upgrade their lawns without spending a lot. You can much more affordably work on amending your lawn's soil than laying entirely new sod; choosing a quick-release fertilizer, for example, can result in improvements in just weeks while remaining cost effective. Another tip that Gaines swears by is aerating your lawn to improve its absorption of nutrients and decrease compaction of soil, which will make it look much healthier.