The Secret to Selling Your Oregon City Home? It’s Not Just Curb Appeal (but also, back yard appeal)

So, you’re selling your house in Oregon City. You’ve probably already been given the usual spiel—declutter, neutralize, light a candle that smells vaguely like cookies and better life choices. And while those are all solid tips, let’s talk about something even more crucial: staging—a.k.a. making your home so desirable that buyers start mentally moving in before they’ve even found the coat closet.

I do complimentary home staging consultations for my listings, and let me tell you, it’s part design, part psychology, and part me trying to convince you that your oversized sectional with the built-in drink holders is not the selling feature you think it is. But before we get inside, let’s talk about the very first impression—your home’s exterior.

Back Yard Flattery: A Love Letter to Restraint

Yesterday, the sun made a rare appearance in this early Spring, and I found myself at Tony’s Nursery in Damascus. I needed a few plants to fill some meh spaces in my backyard as we started our first-of-the-year cleanup. And wow, was it hard not to go rogue and grab every new-to-me plant that whispered, “Take me home, I’ll totally thrive!” (Narrator: It would not have thrived.)

Instead, I went with the clear but not exciting choice: Sky Pencil Japanese Hollys to fill in this problem hole under what is supposed to be a focal point in my backyard; a hammock cabana. I need a backdrop, not something to steal the show.

Coming out of winter: A full shade area in my hammock cabana needed to be addressed.

---

{Botanical name: llex crenate. Hardy to Zone 5. A compact, narrow grower with dark evergreen leaves year-round. Small purple berries in fall may attract many types of birds including blackbirds, fieldfares, redwings, and thrushes. Urban tolerant. Great evergreen for dark areas. Moderate grower 6-8 ft. tall x 2-3 ft wide. Sun to Shade. They like acidic soil, so use a lot of compost and mulch. The species is male and female, so you'll need 1 male per 5-7 female for fruit production. Resistant to deer.}

---

Sky pencil's are green year-round. They don’t drop a bunch of debris. They can handle sun or shade here in Oregon City, Oregon... and this spot is almost full shade. They take up almost no space, (hello hammock) yet still manage to look intentional. If you are searching for a super skinny hedge or visual divider, this is a contender. Are they the showstoppers of my yard? Absolutely not. But their ability to seamlessly blend in is exactly why they work. They will be a "backdrop of green" instead of the unsightly builder-special wood fence. I prefer the look of nature. Honestly I would rather NOT have a fence at all, but our home is right up against the backyard of my neighbor and so, a fence is necessary to keep her dog in her yard.

And this, dear home seller, is the exact same energy you should be bringing to your front yard when prepping your home for sale. It's a combination of looks and functionality.

Why Back Yard Staging is the Ultimate Power Move

When buyers pull up to your house, their first impression is already forming before they even step inside. And much like my Sky Pencil Hollies, your landscaping should be clean, cohesive, and—brace yourself—restrained. Think: Reduce the Chaos. Obv. What they may NOT expect is once they see the inside of your home and venture to the backyard, it's the cherry on top and seals the deal.

• Edit ruthlessly. Overgrown shrubs? They gotta be thoughtfully trimmed but THEY SHOULD NOT ALL BE trimmed to THE SAME SIZE if you have different plants. That elaborate gnome collection? Cute for you, confusing for buyers.

• Remove STUFF. The garden hose should not be piled in plain site. Buckets or rakes, kid toys or sports equipment all should be somewhere other than visible in your yard.

• Go for simplicity. A row of neatly trimmed evergreens beats a haphazard mix of plants that all want to be the main character. Repetition is your friend here. Also if you have a lot of different color blooming things, this will read as "busy" in photos. If you are making a buying decision with plants to replace something that is dead, think forward; "how will this look with everything else?" The same color or no bloom at all can be a safe choice. There's a reason why Japanese gardens feel zen; prioritize foliage over flowers. Different textures and shades of green are good!

• Think low-maintenance. Buyers want to imagine themselves gardening, not feel overwhelmed by the reality of it.

• Most importantly, showcase what the space can be used for. Show how different areas can be enjoyed. Firepits, hammocks, sandboxes...whatever - showcase how people can experience the yard. This is what I do best!

Inside Matters Too—But Let’s Not Overdo It

Inside, the same principles apply. We want the home to feel warm and inviting, but not like a curated museum of your personal life choices. The goal is for buyers to feel like they could live here, not like they’re intruding on your deeply sentimental collection of ceramic frogs. PS: For the record, I would totally love it if you had a collection of frogs but that's not the point here.

Let’s talk about the easy fixes:

• Declutter aggressively. If you haven’t used it in a year, pack it up, gift it forward on the "Buy Nothing" Facebook Group, or donate it. (Please, oh please, do not put things en mass into a landfill.)

• Depersonalize, but don’t sterilize. I can help here. We will walk through your home together to figure out how things will photograph for your listing and we can determine if any painting needs to be done before the photoshoot.

• Highlight the best features. If you have a fireplace, let’s not block it with a massive sectional (yes, I’m looking at you again).

The Delayed Gratification of Good Design

Back to my plant-shopping experience. Did I leave Tony’s Nursery feeling the rush of shopping euphoria? Nope. But I did leave knowing that once those Sky Pencils were in place, they’d make my yard feel effortlessly polished. The same goes for staging. You may not feel the instant dopamine hit of, say, a full kitchen remodel, but trust me—when we do the photoshoot and create the video of your beautiful home, that’s when the magic happens. THAT is what people will see first to determine whether they want to take the time to tour your home.

Selling a home is about editing and showing how much life can be lived in all the areas; it’s about making it feel just right. And that’s where I come in. If you’re selling in Oregon City, West Linn or SE Portland and need a strategic, no-nonsense (but also fun) approach to getting top dollar, let’s chat. Just don’t ask me to stage around your 1991 Costco sectional—I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you.

Ready to list? Connect with me.