Get Ready for Spring & Summer! Three Outdoor Living Trends Buyers Love

If you're considering putting your home on the market, don't neglect your outdoor living space while making improvements.  Your home's backyard is important in attracting buyers and making home as appealing as possible.  With the right outdoor spaces, you will attract the growing number of buyers who want to spend more time in the sunshine and fresh air, hosting events for friends and family.  Here are some modern trends in outdoor living that will entice today's buyers.

Fire Pits

Outdoor fire pits are hot right now.  An outdoor fire pit can be ideal for lounging outside on those cool summer nights, making your outdoor space appealing to buyers.  It provides a comfortable, logical place for outdoor entertaining or simply enjoying s'mores together as a family.  You have two options:purchase a DIY fire pit kit from a home improvement store, or hire a contractor to build a permanent structure, depending  upon your budget and how often you'll use it.

Outdoor Kitchen

More and more homeowners are maximizing their backyard with outdoor kitchens. Today's well designed outdoor kitchen should allow for cooking outdoors year-round, and include an outdoor sink, range and even an oven, making your home more inviting.  Of course, you will need to weigh the costs of this upgrade against the potential benefits.  A professional can offer valuable advice about the ideal location and how it will work with other elements of your year, but if you have a great outdoor entertaining space, consider adding an outdoor kitchen to attract buyers.

Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting appeals to buyers for a number of reasons: It expands the usability, making it easier to enjoy the ambiance of a garden well into the evening.  You might want to highlight some specific features of your backyard like a water fountain or pond.  You can achieve a soft mood by hiding landscape lighting under shrubs.  Good outdoor lighting will make your home more inviting, year round especially during the long nights of winter.  Having your lighting on timers that can be seasonally adjusted will save on electricity costs. An added benefit--outdoor lighting helps improve the security of your home, which is important to some buyers. 

Don't forget to "Spring Ahead" this March 12, 2017 when daylight savings begins!