Romantic Bouquets

Romantic Bouquets
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Home Improvement and Your Landscaping

Good landscaping can increase the value of your home by upwards of 8%-15%.  A well maintained outdoor space gives the impression that the home is well cared for and maintained not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.  Realtors all over the country are suggesting that their clients improve the look of their landscaping. Even if your home is perfect on the inside, a bad view from the outside can literally turn people away. An amazing "82% of surveyed agents have had potential buyers decline to look at the interior of a house due to its exterior appearance," according to the survey Real Estate Agent Community Trends (REACT).  http://www.myhomechannel.org/article_landscaping_home_value.php

Even if you are not planning on moving in the near future, you should invest in landscaping as plants and trees take time to mature.  Plan with the end result in mind; design your landscaping as a whole so it looks coherent when completed, even if you can only do a little at a time.  Consider first the larger additions, such as walkways and trees.  Using cement or pavers for the main walkways of the house provides a sure footing.  They are easy to care for and provide a neat, well kept appearance.  Further away from the house, you may choose to consider a more natural pathway made of mulch or stone.  Larger trees around the home provide shade and can be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 
If you are planning to sell your home within the next year, there are some things you can do right away to boost the appearance of your landscape and home.  Perennials are nice additions, but choosing annuals instead provides season-long color and brightens the yard.  Since perennials take time to establish themselves, you may want to choose larger ones so they look like they’ve been there a while.  You can also cut fresh edges around your planting beds.  This provides a professional look.  Add about 2” of fresh mulch.  Ideally, this should be done each year anyway after removal of the old mulch; it will add to the professional appearance.  Adding mulch also helps to keep the soil cool and moist.   You should also fertilize your lawn regularly so it remains lush and full, rather than sparse and patchy.  Prune overgrown shrubs, keeping them in a natural shape rather than square or ball shapes.

Other things you can do to spruce up your outside living space; sweep porches, power wash the house and/or deck and concrete surfaces as well.   Tidy the yard, storing toys and other equipment and pull the weeds from in between your pavers or concrete slabs. 
Investing in your landscaping pays off big, not only when you sell your home, but also as you are living there.  It’s been proven that overall positive feelings increased and feelings of fear and anger are reduced when plants are well placed and the yard is pleasant to look at.  Trees not only provide aesthetic appeal and shade, but can also provide barriers to sound and weather when well placed.    So take the time to garden and make your home as appealing on the outside as it may be on the inside.  You’ll be glad you did!




Comments

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