Selling Your House in Hamilton? Get the Lawn Ready for Photos and Open Homes

Buyers see your lawn before they see your kitchen. The listing photos are taken from the street, and the first thing anyone walks across at the open home is the front lawn. Long grass and ragged edges make a house look like nobody has been looking after it, even when the inside is spotless.

Spring is when most Hamilton houses go on the market, and it is also when the grass grows fastest. That makes timing the whole game. Here is when to mow, what else to do in the weeks before, and what it costs to have it done.

Why Spring Makes It Harder

In winter a Hamilton lawn barely moves, and a mow lasts three or four weeks. From late September it takes off. Through October and November most lawns here need mowing every week or every fortnight to stay tidy, and after a wet, warm week the grass can look long again in five or six days.

So a lawn you mowed two weekends ago, when you were busy packing and painting, will not look mowed on the day of the open home. The answer is not one big mow. It is the right mows at the right times. How often to mow in spring has the full picture.

When to Mow: the Simple Schedule

• A day or two before the photographer. The photos stay online for the whole campaign, so this is the mow that matters most. Fresh edges show up in photos more than anything else.
• The day before the first open home. Not the morning of. Wet clippings on the paths as buyers arrive are not the look you want.
• Every week while it is on the market. If the open homes run over three or four weekends, the lawn needs to look the same on the last one as the first. A mow on the Thursday or Friday covers a weekend open home.
• Before the pre-settlement inspection. A sale agreement usually expects the property handed over in much the same condition it was sold in. A lawn left for six weeks after the sale goes unconditional is an easy thing for a buyer to raise.

Four Weeks Out: Jobs Worth Doing Early

If the photos are a month or more away, you have time to fix things that a mow on its own will not.

• Feed it. A spring lawn fertiliser greens a Hamilton lawn up in two to three weeks. Spread it evenly and water it in. Leave it too late and any stripes or burnt patches from uneven spreading turn up right when the photographer does.
• Spray the weeds now or not at all. Sprayed clover and prickle weed go yellow and brown for a couple of weeks before they disappear. A lawn full of dying weeds photographs worse than a green one with clover in it.
• Patch the bare spots. October is a good month to sow lawn seed in Hamilton, and new grass takes three to four weeks to fill in enough to look like lawn. Dog wee patches are the usual culprit.
• Raise the mower. A lawn scalped short goes patchy and brown in a dry spell. A slightly longer, even cut looks thicker and greener in photos.

The Week Before: the Small Stuff Buyers Notice

• Pick up the dog’s mess and the toys. Walk the whole lawn the morning of the photos and again before each open home.
• Clear the paths and driveway. Weeds in the cracks and clippings on the concrete make the lawn look worse than it is.
• Do the berm. The berm is in the street photo too, and it is the first bit of grass anyone walks past.
• Tidy the edges of the garden beds. A clean line between lawn and garden makes both look looked after.
• Don’t forget the back. Buyers walk out the back door at an open home. The back lawn needs the same treatment as the front, even if it isn’t in the main photo.

Already Moved Out, or It’s Not Your House?

Plenty of houses on the market have nobody living in them. The owners have already moved, or it is a rental between tenants, or it is mum and dad’s place and the family is selling it for them.

That is fine. Nobody needs to be home. You book it and pay for it, and we mow on the days you need.

What It Costs

Our rate starts at $10 per 100 square metres of lawn, $35 minimum, GST included, with edges and clippings in the price. On a regular round most townhouse lawns are $35 and a 500 square metre lawn is $50. What lawn mowing costs in Hamilton has the full breakdown.

A one-off costs a bit more per visit than a regular slot, because it doesn’t fit into a set run. If the lawn has been let go and is really long, the first cut costs more again, because it takes a lot longer. Either way, you get the price before we start, and it doesn’t change after.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long before an open home should I mow the lawn?

The day before, or two days before at the most. In a Hamilton spring the grass grows fast, so a lawn mowed a week before the open home already looks a bit shaggy on the day. Mow a day or two before the photographer comes too.

Do you do one-off mows for a house sale?

Yes. You don’t need to be a regular client and there is no contract. Most people selling book a mow before the photos and then one before each open home, or every week the house is on the market.

Do I need to be home when you mow?

No. As long as we can get to the lawn and any gate is unlocked, we can mow while you are at work or after you have moved out. That also works for a rental you are selling, or a parent’s house.

How much does a one-off mow cost in Hamilton?

Our rate starts at $10 per 100 square metres of lawn, with a $35 minimum, GST included, and edges and clippings are included. A one-off costs a bit more per visit than a regular slot, and a really long lawn costs more again for the first cut. You get the price before we start.

Should I fertilise the lawn before selling?

It helps if you have three or four weeks before the photos. A spring feed greens the lawn up in two to three weeks. Do it later than that and you can get stripes from uneven spreading or burnt patches right when the photographer turns up.

Can I spray the weeds just before the photos?

Not just before. Sprayed weeds go yellow and brown for a couple of weeks before they disappear, and a lawn full of dying clover photographs worse than a lawn full of green clover. Spray at least four weeks ahead, or leave it for the new owners.

Good luck with the sale!