NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE WEEK:

Focus on the right things Measured lawn care Toss the junk

Yard season is here. As the weather warms, your lawn and garden require attention, and the work isn’t going to wait for COVID-19 to disappear.

Spring yard work can be tedious, especially if you’re anxious about potential extra trips to the store for supplies. Still, for those hoping for stellar green spaces this summer (either for yourself or to appease the HOA), tending to dead spaces, seeding, weeding and garden prep in the spring can reduce workload in the warmer months.

For those looking to sell their homes this summer, curb appeal can play a role in luring potential buyers. Staging efforts and remodeling projects understandably focus on the look, layout and functionality inside the house. However, some things on the outside can have a serious impact on the number and quality of offers.

Some efforts are worth more time and money than others. Spending 100 hours building a new shed in the backyard probably won’t boost your home’s sales price all that much. Same with other big, potentially-expensive amenities like hot tubs, decks or water features. As nice as those elements are, they usually won’t be the thing that makes a buyer choose your property over another. A modern kitchen or bathroom remodel will add much more value to a similarly-priced outdoor project simply because people use those indoor spaces much more often.

That being said, certain outdoor projects deserve the effort. If the exterior of your house was painted hot pink 30 years ago, it might be a good idea to invest in a more modern look. Visible damage should be addressed. Rehang that dangling gutter, replace (or at least repaint) that rotted trim or broken siding, and make sure windows and doors are secure and visually appealing.

Back when I was in high school, I cracked a window on the garage with a wayward basketball. My mom didn’t fix the thing until almost 20 years later when she finally sold the home. It was ugly and needed to be repaired, but maybe don’t wait as long as she did to fix it. Sorry I cracked the window, Mom.

Bottom line: You don’t want your home to look like it requires a bunch of work before a buyer moves in. It doesn’t need to look like the fanciest house on the street, but it also shouldn’t look like it’s haunted.

Full disclosure: I think lawn care is pretty overrated. I personally don’t see the value of running a bunch of water on a yard just so that it stays as green as the neighbor’s. I personally chose to live in a neighborhood without a Homeowner’s Association just so I wouldn’t get harassed about every little weed poking out of the ground. I don’t want a brown yard, or a yard overrun with towering weeds, but I don’t care about it being perfect.

In talking with real estate agents, “perfect” isn’t a necessary benchmark for listing a home at top dollar either. The yard should be mowed and weed coverage should be mitigated, but, again, it doesn’t need to be the fanciest lawn on the street.

Don’t get me wrong. It certainly helps to have an immaculate front yard and HGTV-approved, resort-style backyard patio. If you have it already, great, but if you don’t, it may not be worth the money it will take to create that picturesque curb appeal. For the not-so-green-thumbs out there, it’s probably enough to trim back the bushes, weed-whack those giant, pokey-looking vines and keep the grass short.

For some Ugly Duckling properties, you may need to clear out the property just so you can see the grass. Seriously, I’ve seen some weird local listings over the years. Pictures of homes with old appliances sitting on the front lawn. Open garages with bikes and various car parts tumbling out onto the driveway. “Breaking Bad”-style RVs collecting rust (and presumably meth) sitting in the driveway and blocking the view of an otherwise decent-looking house.

Dump it, move it or at least hide the junk. Those guys from “American Pickers” might want to stop by your house, but buyers want to see clean, open spaces so they can visualize where they can put their own junk.

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We want to hear from readers and real estate professionals about what you’d like to see from Neighborhood of the Week during this unprecedented time. Contact twilson@cdapress.com to suggest story ideas and updates you’d like to see in this space in the coming weeks.