■ Define lawn edges
Edging your lawn makes a garden look restrained and tamed, which gives it the appearance of lower maintenance - a popular selling point.
Creating an edge is easy and can be as simple as using a sharp spade to cut a neat separation between your lawn and garden bed, path or fence.
Alternatively, you can use a physical barrier such as timber, steel, brick or stone.
■ Solve problems with plants
Address your property's shortfalls such as overlooking neighbours or busy roads by planting-out your gardens.
While the plants may not initially create a full visual barrier, or any real sound improvement, the perceived improvement from a buyer's point of view will be worth it.
Talk to your local garden centre about your garden's particular environment (shade, light, soil and proximity to the coast). ■ Limit the number of plant species
Minimising the number of plant species will make your garden appear easier to maintain and give it a more uniform look.
However, don't be too dogmatic about restricting your choices.
In general, Carroll encourages some plant diversity as it encourages biodiversity, is good for the local ecology, reduces pest impact, extends flowering times and generally looks more interesting.
■ Lay new lawn
A lush lawn will make any home sparkle.
If you are covering a large area and want a cost-effective option, try Kikuyu. It is about 50 per cent cheaper than Buffalo grass.
For example, replacing 100 square metres of lawn in Sydney using Premium Buffalo (Sir Walter or Kings Pride varieties, for instance) will cost approximately $8.50 per square metre, while Kikuyu will cost $4.50 per square metre.
If your lawn is looking a bit patchy or has browned-off over winter you could over sow with a lawn seed blend to thicken up and green the lawn.
