Kathleen Finnegan

Just as summer marks a segue from basement birthday bashes and dining room celebrations, it also means sellers should adjust their staging strategy to include outdoor spaces — especially during the months that backyard BBQs and poolside cocktails reign

It makes perfect sense to me from the point of view of preparing for a sale, just like indoors, you don’t want any clutter or a worn-out look in an outdoor space. You want people to feel comfortable.

A recent survey was conducted on 1,500 U.S. home owners, and 83 percent said that outdoor living space is their favorite part of their home, and 81 percent called their outdoor space “the heart of the home.”0

Since the outdoor space is an extension of any home’s interior — whether it’s the porch of an old Victorian with a quaint swing, a postage-stamp backyard of an urban 1920s bungalow, or a brand-new rooftop retreat with an outdoor fireplace at a refurbished downtown city loft — it’s smart to apply the same decorating principles for the indoors to the outdoors.

5 Tips to Spruce Up Yards and Decks

1. Reupholster cushions and seats in need of updates or repair. Consider using water-repellent, UV-protected fabrics for slipcovers or fitted, zippered cushion covers. These changes will instantly update the outdoor space. It makes it feel fresh and tidy, ready to use.

2. Repaint garage walls. It’s a good investment, you can feel the difference; it feels warm. It’s also an update that takes little effort and money. A fresh coat will also spruce up your outdoor space. It’s important to keep the garage wall white; otherwise, it will look cheap and tacky, besides, the sunshine will reflect the white wall inside the home.

3. Play with neutral color in small doses outside. Paint a small section of a wood fence white, green, or blue in a large backyard. Keep the color connected to nature; think of the calming feel of outdoor water fountains that are popular now, just like a mirror or a painting is a focal point inside, the same applies outside.  Avoid accent colors in a small garden or BBQ space; it’s too overwhelming. With color, remember that the background is green —trees or plantings.  One unobtrusive way to use blue is on the ceiling of a porch. Think about the viewpoint of where you’re sitting when you’re painting.

4. Lighting is important. For the seller, indirect lighting is key.  For starters, try inexpensive tea lights around tree branches or a trellis. Define a boundary around a table with lights. Sconces with reflectors are a top-tier way to light the outdoors. They reflect onto the bushes, Eschew certain LEDs unless the outdoor living space has a contemporary vibe. Be especially wary of fluorescent lighting, which can kill a space with blue or green light.

5. Buy inexpensive plants. I likes white flowers such as white orchids to arrange strategically outdoors during showings. I especially likes to place them at entryways, where they draw the eye, or at the top of the stairway.