How do your ensure the outside of your home makes a good impression?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

It is often said how important first impressions are and often when hosting, the first thing your guest will see is the outside of your listing.

Do you spend much time thinking about how to make the outside of your home look inviting? Do are your tips for this? Perhaps you regularly paint the facade or plant flowers. Or alternatively, if you are unable to touch the front of your home, what do you do to help welcome your guests.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Susan151]

@Lizzie . The curb appeal of my home is around a zero, on a scale of 1 to 10. Our huge Victorian wrap-around porch is under construction. The bushes get trimmed and then insist on growing! There is a bare spot where my tree used to be, but we had to remove it as the roots were growing into the house's foundation and rubbing the roof. Thank goodness there just isn't that much land to look this pathetic!

One person did complain, calling the front of the house ramshackled. Only guest I have handed a card with AirBNB's number so that they could find new accommodations. One night in our suite, and he wanted to stay for his full week's visit. [Phew!]

Someday, this darn porch project will be done and I can consider a re-landscape of the overgrown flower beds.

[Robin129]

Here In West Virginia, USA, we've had over 20 inches/50.8 cm of rain over the annual average the past 12 months. Not only is my yard a muddy mess, the cats and dogs keep the porch a mess.

Normally, I keep a few hanging baskets, a potted arrangement placed in an old ceramic crock, and some furniture on the front porch, and a handful of blooming plants in the flower bed. The husband keeps the grass cut neatly. 

My back yard, however, is a total disaster. 

[Christina0]

Like Robin, it can be difficult to always make a good impression if the weather doesn't cooperate. Especially in rural areas. We've had a ton of snow this year and keeping the cottage driveway looking nice is...er...not fun. When the snow melts, we get mud. 🙂 We do try to keep our driveway very noticeable, well lit, and the trees trimmed back. We have a Cottage at Quail Haven sign that is lit up at night. Guests like that.

[Tammi12]

I am in Maryland where the weather changes from hot to cold, rain and snow. How can you make your landscape look inviting when the perennials are dormant and brown? When your garden patch is thachy & unappealing. When the ground is brown and the pretty green grass turned dormant It is not pretty and my blueberries died too.

[Helen427]

@Tammi0

Use the water from your shower and laundry to water your plants using a bucket, or hose, your plants should revive in no time.

Do you have a photo of your blueberry plant?

Which variety is it?

They are so nutritious

All the best

[Cathie19]

I keep the fence and gates looking fresh with paint touch ups, just done in the last few days, as the (strong sunlight dulls it down and insects or birds dirty it). I’ve also just water pressured the driveway and front pavers. (Will work on the back areas across the month).

My garden is mainly greenery and coloured leaf shrubs, with occasional small flowers. I make use of garden sculptures to enhance as well. Solar lighting on the entry driveway and solar sensor-lighting at the entry to the space. I usually put some party lights on on my balcony (above ) if a night arrival. If by day, I have a temporary Airbnb sign I place near the letterbox.

[Helen427]

@Cathie19 

Have you got banana trees in your Garden?

or mangos?

[Cathie19]

No I don’t @Helen427 .

🍌A few years ago there was an outbreak of banana freckle, which meant EVERY banana tree in Darwin and the surrounding areas were destroyed by Primary and industry staff. They also used drones to confirm banana plant removal. The fruit was perfectly edible, but lost appearance for export. 🍌 We just haven’t replaced the one we had. 🍌

( see: https://dpir.nt.gov.au/primary-industry/primary-industry-publications/regional-newsletters/tp/top-pa... ) and (https://nt.gov.au/industry/agriculture/food-crops-plants-and-quarantine/banana-freckle-eradication-p...)

🥭 As for mango trees, when we bought the property we had a great tree on the back fence line. To get the fruit, we used a ladder, or at one stage, we wound up our camper trailer and our young son stood on it to grab them.

but we had problems:

- The tree grew too tall to reach the fruit.

- The tree killed all the lawn within cooee of the space. Too much shade!

- Our son developed “mango fever/allergy” from the sap, and could only eat mango that had been cut up for him. He couldn’t come in contact with the skin under any circumstances. Looked like a case of measles that would travel down his body, and itch something shocking for a week. Antihistamines to knock him out! LOL-  but is a real problem for many! 

-AND to top it off, the fruit bats were attracted to the yard, they use to grab the fruit and take one bite and then we would have dead fruit everywhere....

OR

They would fly off with a mango during the night, and it would get heavy and they would drop it. Think of a heavy or unripened missile being dropped onto a corrugated iron roof at three in the morning. An explosive thud... that then noisily rolled and klunked its way to the edge. You would wait for it....... There would be silence, then - kerplunk, blob, blob, blob, blob, as it sank to the bottom of the swimming pool!”

So no, we no longer have a mango tree, 🥭🥭 by default!  🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 LOL....

🙌🏼 please note: Mango allergy or a sensitivity which for some people can be life threatening,  is VERY different from the colloquial term “Mango Madness”. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-07/mango-madness-mental-illness-tropical-wet-season-build-up/579...

also known as “gone troppo”....   😁😁😁😁😁😁🌴🌴🌴🌴👍🏼

🙂

Cathie

[Helen427]

@Cathie0

Yes I've heard about those pesky bats and the Mango stories, they are a bit like the opossums..

That's unfortunate about the bananas, often it's the removal/ destruction of another species that results in a flow on harm impact.

Bananas still grow in some parts of New Zealand, we used to have them all over Auckland much to some people's surprise.

Oh and they are stitting around $2-3 kg now to but bananas, they used to be arounf 70cents kg 10 years ago..BUT because it was publicised they were one of the most popular fruits to eat they skyrocketed in price

[Ben551]

I admit, we don't do much other than try to keep nature from encompassing the house... it's surrounded by bush that seems to, inch by inch, want to suffocate all buildings in it's path hahahaha

Outside of our house:

But nobody cares, because they are too busy looking at this:

[Quincy]

Wowzer, nice night photo @Ben551! 

[Deborah614]

Nice Ben.  I used to live in Maida Vale Road, Roseneath, which you can see from your house.     

[Helen427]

@Lizzie @Ben551 @Ivana61 @Cathie19 @Tammi12@Susan

A clear pathway, some flowers growing in the garden and a light on if guest are arriving in the evening, together with a welcome smile at the door.

[Steven-And-Paige0]

Currently I have a beautiful wreath hanging on the wall next to the entry door. Now that the weather is warming up I hope to add some fresh flowers/plants and possibly paint the entry steps with glow in the dark paint to ease nighttime walking. 

[Ivana61]

@Helen427  exactly.