If you are planning on listing your home for sale next spring, the beginning of fall is the best time to ensure you have good curb appeal for the prime spring selling season. I want my Brownsburg, Zionsville, Carmel and the rest of my Indianapolis-area clients to know that curb appeal is still critical to get people into your home for a showing.

What you should be doing now depends on the condition of your lawn. It has been so dry in Indiana that there is a chance your lawn will not come back in the spring. To ensure you’ll have green grass next year, you should over-seed your yard.

You can over-seed your lawn by renting a slice seeder and buying a good bluegrass mix. There are many places you can rent a slice seeder, which is a tool that enables the seed to enter the soil in rows. Immediately after seeding, your lawn will look a little beat up, but the results will be seen before Thanksgiving and the healthy, green grass in the spring will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Then apply starter fertilizer after you seed the yard. The sunny days and cool nights of the early fall season are perfect for grass growth.

All lawns – even those in good condition- should also get an application of winter fertilizer. Winter fertilizer will help the roots grow deep and thicken the lawn. You can apply a winter fertilizer as late as the first half of November.

You can do this work yourself or have it done by a lawn care company. According to a recent article from The Indianapolis Star, these local companies could use the business. If you hire a lawn care specialist, I suggest you watch the process to make sure the entire lawn is over seeded or fertilized.

If you’re looking to sell in the spring, I hope you’ll take this advice. I want to be able to help you get your home sold and good curb appeal will play a factor.