Archive for the ‘Yard Appeal’ Category

There is no better time than fall to get yards looking great, according to the “Yard Doctor” Trey Rogers, a professor of turfgrass management in the crop and soil sciences department at Michigan State University.

Here are 6 tips from Rogers to help you and your clients take advantage of the seasonal weather and vibrant colors to add dramatic curb appeal.

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Curb appeal can make or break a sale in today’s market.

If your sellers are willing to improve the outside of their homes, here are some low-cost ways to increase a home’s curb appeal.

• Clean up beds by weeding and pruning shrubs. Add mulch for a high-end look.
• Invest in pots. A couple of attractive ceramic (or ceramic look-alike) pots filled with attractive plants can really make an entrance look classier.
• Install landscape lighting on the path to the front door.
• Replace the mailbox with a newer one and put some nice plantings at its base to dress it up.

Source: Tribune Media Services, Cameron Huddleston (07/26/2009)

Summer has finally arrived and it is time to expand your living and entertaining space to the outdoors. 

When it comes to decorating your outdoor space just think of it as your great room.  Section your patio/deck into three different areas: eating, conversation and relaxation.

Once you have figured out how you are going to use each space, it is time to pick out furniture.  Before purchasing the furniture, do some measuring of the space so you know exactly what will and will not work in the space.  This will help keep you from over spending and buying furniture that will not fit. 

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1. Add splashes of color. With every changing season, a landscape should provide a new display of colors, textures, and fragrances. “It’s best to use one or two and repeat them,” Glassman says. Example: white iceberg roses that bloom in spring, summer, and fall as a backdrop; in front, a contrasting punch of purple salvia or lavender that will flower at the same time; and as an accent, a crape myrtle tree that provides changing leaf colors in fall and interesting branches come winter.

2. Size trees and shrubs to scale. These should be planted in the right scale for the house so that they don’t block windows, doors, and other architectural features on the home’s facade. A large two-story house can handle a redwood, Chinese pistache, sycamore, or scarlet oak, but a one-story cottage is better paired with a flowering cherry, crabapple, or eastern redbud. Too many trees cast too much shadow and cause potential buyers to worry about maintenance and costs.

3. Maintain a perfect lawn. A velvety green lawn demonstrates tender loving care, so be sure sellers’ homes don’t have brown spots. Some rocks, pebbles, boulders, drought-tolerant plants, and ornamental grasses will generate more kudos, especially in drought areas.

4. Light up the outside. Good illumination allows buyers to see a home at night and adds drama. Sellers should use low-voltage lamps to highlight branches of specimen trees, a front door, walk, and corners of the house. But less is better. The yard shouldn’t resemble an airport runway.

5. Let them hear the water. The sound of water appeals to buyers, and you shouldn’t just reserve this for your backyard. A small fountain accented with rocks provides a pleasant gurgling sound, blocks street noise, and is affordable.

6. Use decorative architectural elements. A new mailbox, planted window boxes, and a low fence wrapped in potato vines add cachet, particularly during winter months when fewer plants blossom. Colors should complement the landscape and home. Just don’t overdo it: Too much can seem like kitschy lawn ornaments.

By Barbara Ballinger | April 2009

Good landscaping can increase a home’s value by 5 percent to 11 percent, according to a Michigan State University study.

Don’t give the lawn a buzz cut, urges John Stier, professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin. Cutting a lawn short makes it grow faster and weakens its roots. Stier says keep the grass no shorter than 2 ½ inches.

Stier thinks hiring a lawn service to cut, water and fertilize isn’t necessary for right approach most homeowners. He says they can do just as good a job themselves and save more than $1,000 a year.

Source: Money Magazine, Josh Garskof (09/04/2008)

Even in this tough market, a nice outdoor deck is a feature any home buyer can love.

The size of the average deck on an upscale home has doubled in the past 10 years, to about 700 square feet, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS).

Decks are particularly popular with young families. Parents like the idea that children can be outdoors, yet contained in a safe place.

However, Home builders don’t seem to have gotten the message that decks are popular. Ninety percent of all decks are added as a remodeling project, says Steve Van Kouteren, of consulting firm Principia Partners.

The cost of the average deck project has risen 40 percent since 2004, to $10,347, according to JCHS. But it’s an improvement that tends to pay off pretty well at resale. Homes on the Pacific coast get a 108 percent return on when the home is sold, according to Remodeling magazine. Those in the upper Midwest, where the season for outdoor living is short, get only 71 percent.

Source: SmartMoney, Brad Reagan (05/01/2008)