Maximizing Your Curb Appeal
How many chances do you get to make a first impression?
Yes, it’s a trick question. Are you, or your company, ready to welcome new residents, employees and clients?
A first impression promotes your investment, reveals your decisions and shows your pride. If guests arrive at your office, apartment complex or other facility, and see unkempt grounds or dying plants, they immediately lower their expectations. These negative assumptions, like judging a book by its cover, can affect occupancy rates, and ultimately sales.
A property manager can assess the curb appeal of a building or campus and essentially work from the ground up to refresh the property.
First step: Contact a lawn maintenance company.
Local and national “landscape management” companies provide the ideal services to help create a positive image on your grounds. Determine the schedule, services and fees that accommodate the size of the property. When you find a company that provides great results, consider contracting them for additional properties.
Second step: Look for a maintenance plan that includes:
Consultations – determine frequency of landscaping service and treatment options.
Pre-emergent herbicides – apply to keep weeds and crab grass away with this preventative treatment.
Fertilizing – schedule to add nutrients to the soil and flower beds and encourage a greener lawn.
Irrigation – keep your investment from drying out with a timed sprinkler system and keep mulch fresh in flower beds to retain moisture.
Inspections – protect the lawn, shrubs, flowers and trees from insects and other diseases
Seasonal clean-up – prune and trim trees and shrubs, weed and re-mulch flower beds, rake and remove debris.
Third Step: Maximize your real estate
Rich green grass and lush trees welcome visitors to your property. Encourage them to stay with essential add-ons that enhance your landscaping plan.
Apartment complexes and townhome communities may be designed with park-like common areas or tree-lined walkways. Consider enhancing the property and resident satisfaction by staging social areas, a community garden or quiet retreats. Property managers will see the immediate results of adding extra elements that appeal to realtors and potential new tenants too.
Outdoor socializing – add benches, tables and umbrellas for residents to eat outside or visit with friends and family.
Zen garden – create a peaceful sanctuary with a waterfall, koi pond or rock garden.
Small details – hang windchimes or flowering plants or add large decorative pots with herbs or flowers to keep insects away or attract butterflies.
Lighting – install solar-powered lights on walkways for guests to enjoy the landscaping into the evening.
Gardening – Assign a small plot of land for residents to maintain a garden to promote sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint.
Business complexes can also utilize enhanced grounds:
Outdoor offices – this trend continues to rise as teams venture outside (for some fresh air) for a change of scenery and team building opportunities.
Welcoming guests – invite guests to relax on a bench before an appointment or meet with them at an outdoor table in the shade.
Vendors – utilize the outdoor space for hosting special events like “Food Truck Friday,” ping pong, washers or horse shoes tournaments.
Designing specialized outdoor spaces encourages residents or workers to interact. The campus environment builds a sense of community and promotes longevity.
Lay the groundwork to promote your business, by improving your curb appeal today.
