It’s no secret that a house’s curb appeal can make a tremendous impact on its resale prospects. Although we always tell ourselves not to judge a book by its cover, it’s only human nature to assess something upon the first impression we form. Even if a story is great, we’re less likely to give it a chance if we don’t like the cover. Even if a house’s interior is charming and highly alluring, we may not give it proper consideration when the exterior doesn’t appeal to us.

For this reason it is important to pay attention to your house’s curb value when you’re trying to sell, especially in the current buyer’s market. With prices stagnant and inventory high, refinancing your home may be a better option than trying to sell it under current conditions. But, if you ultimately need to sell, you’re going to want to maximize your curb appeal as much as possible.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take too much money or effort to upgrade a home that is lacking in curb appeal. Here are four easy options that you might want to consider:

1. Start painting.

The easiest and most beneficial way to boost your curb appeal is to get some paint and add an layer to your house’s front façade. Since this may be a challenging solo project, you can get essentially the same value for your work by painting your garage door and your home’s front door. A clean layer of paint on each of those surfaces can go a long way towards boosting your house’s perceived value.

2. Pave the driveway.

When looking to improve curb value, many people focus on their home or on their garden and overlook the driveway. This is a mistake. A chipped, cracked, or faded driveway can reflect poorly on the house and on the property as a whole. The general rule of thumb is that a dark, smooth, and clean driveway is probably your best bet. If you want to take it a step further, however, you can instead top your driveway off with crushed gravel or limestone to give it a more sophisticated look.

3. Brighten and clean the yard.

Most people realize that an appealing front yard can make a house appear much more desirable. This does not, however, require that you plant exotic bushes and spend a tremendous amount of time and money cultivating the perfect garden. Instead, just make sure that everything in the yard is well-trimmed (ie bushes, the grass, any trees). If you’re looking to sell during the warmer months, you also want to make your yard as colorful as possible. This may entail using fertilizer to darken your lawn or buying some cheap flowers to plant near the house.

4. Get outdoor lighting.

Buying and installing a few well-placed outdoor lights can go a long way towards boosting your curb appeal. These lights should be facing towards your house and should be used to illuminate bushes or the home’s façade once evening falls. Having lights can be especially useful in winter, when many homes are viewed after the sun has begun to set.

There are numerous other ways that you can easily improve your home’s curb value. For example, if you drive a nice car, giving that car a wash and then letting it sit in your driveway has been shown to add perceived value to a home. But even without a high-end vehicle, following the above tips can go a long way towards improving your resale value. In a tough market, it’s an easy and obvious investment to make.

Photo Credits: bgautrea

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Better Homes and Gardens has long been known as the leader in landscaping and millions buy the magazine every month just to see the new designs and ideas. When they came out with this book, it provided homeowners with a fantastic resource that really gives them exactly what they need to get started and be pleased with the results when they’re finished. If you want to do anything to your yard, we highly recommend reading this book first.

With more than 400 pages packed with projects, this book will definitely keep you busy in your yard all season long. There are numerous illustrations that are incredibly useful for identifying plants and getting an idea of how your yard will look when it’s done. By far our favorite part of the book were the actual landscaping plans that were included. If you’ve been wanting to do something with your yard, but you’re not sure what exactly you want to do, you can simply use one of these plans.

The book also does a good job of holding your hand through the entire process of picking the right plants and trees, knowing how to plant each one and more importantly, how to care for them after you’re done with your design. You’ll definitely want to take your copy along to the nursery, it’s just that good. We highly recommend reading this book in the winter, when it’s all gray and cold and spring seems eons away. This will give you that jumpstart you need, and you can start planning during these months for a spectacular spring yard, complete with water features and much more.

Overall, this was a great read that provided thousands of landscaping tips. The illustrations were incredible and all the projects were well laid out and easy to understand. We absolutely loved the book and highly recommend it to backyard gardeners or budding landscapers. It’s well worth the purchase price and chances are you’ll be turning to it again and again, every year. If you’ve got a friend that loves to garden, this is the perfect gift and will provide them with plenty of inspiration for new projects. It’s easy to see why Better Homes and Gardens has been on top for so many decades. If they keep putting out books like this one, they’ll be there for many decades to come.

Originally posted 2008-08-15 05:14:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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1. Go Green.

Installing energy efficient appliances is perhaps the easiest way to increase the value of your home. Look for the Energy Star label since you may be eligible for special cash back rewards. These new appliances are remarkably different from older models and many of the new refrigerators will use about the same amount of energy as a light bulb.

There are many other ways to go green with your home. Try installing a new “green” flooring system, such as bamboo or cork. These floors will add beauty to your home and you’ll feel good about your choice. You can also install energy efficient windows and more to your home to save on your energy bills.

2. Landscape Your Yard.

One of the best ways to installing increase your curb appeal is by landscaping your yard. Whether it’s a single shade tree or an elaborate garden, landscaping gives you the opportunity to have fun and improve your yard. Anyone can landscape, and with the right tools, you’ll get professional results.

3. Refresh Your Kitchen.

The kitchen is the heart of your home and for many DIY’ers, this is the place to start. From replacing cabinet doors, to adding new fixtures, there are many ways that you can make that old kitchen look brand new. If you’ve got the budget, you can tear out your old cabinets and completely overhaul the space.

Today’s kitchens are more efficient and easier to keep up, thanks to new materials and designs that make the most out of the space in your kitchen.

4. Add a Room.

Whether it’s a brand new addition, or a new way to use an old space, there are plenty of ways that you can get more out of your home and make it worth more money. Building on to your home is a great way to save money and get more space, without having to purchase a new house. Your new addition can even be something as simple as a converted garage or basement.

5. Add a Deck, or Screen in a Porch.

Looking to take advantage of outdoor space? Adding on a deck or a patio gives you a whole other room and plenty of chances for fun. Anyone with basic building experience can make a deck, and this is a great addition to any home.

A screened in porch can also be very useful, especially as a three season room. If you’re not quite ready to build on, but you still need some extra space, this is a great solution and it’s easy to do!

These are just a few ways that you can add to the value of your home and get more use out of it.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-09-11 05:58:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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When you see pictures of gardens in magazines and online, raised beds are common elements. If you'd like to have one or more of those in your garden, now you can do so without the work and the hassle of building one of those beds. A raised bed created with the M Brace is an inexpensive and easy way to get that home and garden magazines look for own backyard.

Whether you want a raised bed because you have very little space or you like to garden in them because it's better for many plants and easier to reach, the M Brace can help you build one in less than 15 minutes. You'll never have to follow complicated blueprints again in order to build a raised bed. With the M Brace you don't even need tools or fasteners like nails or screws. All you need are your set of 4 M Braces and enough two by fours to build the walls.

All you do is slide the wood into the braces and you're finished. There can’t be a simpler way to build a great-looking raised bed in your garden. Not only is the bed ready for you to add dirt and plants, but it looks fantastic from the outside. These braces are made from recycled materials and have attractive die-cut designs, or you can buy a solid set. Either way, they look attractive and really give a finished and professional look to the bed.

You can choose from several different designs on your set of M Braces like squiggles, a sun design, dots, carrots or other abstracts. The carrot design is particularly nice for vegetable or herb gardening, but you can choose any design that you would like in your garden. (If you plan to vegetable garden in a raised bed made with an M Brace, be sure that the wood you purchase is safe for use in vegetable gardening, because some scrap wood like that used to make pallets and railroad ties can leak unhealthy chemicals into the soil.)

One of the great things about the M Brace is that you can have a 12 x 12 garden plot one year or for part of the season, and then decide you want a different size later. It's easy to simply remove the boards and move your plot or rearrange it. You can have several raised beds in your garden that are all squares, or you can build a rectangular raised bed in front of your house for border plants or shrubs. There's really no limit to what you can do with a raised bed that you've built with an M Brace system.

You can easily order your M Braces online. They make great gifts for gardeners, too. You could even use them to surprise someone by building them a quick garden bed. Whether it's for the beautiful look of a raised bed or how easy it is to garden without the need to get on the ground, many more people can enjoy raised bed gardening because it's so simple to create beds with the M Brace.

Photo Credits: http://www.artofthegarden.net/

Originally posted 2010-04-28 18:32:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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The first step is to determine where you want to start in your home. Changes made to the exterior are usually considered to be more valuable from an appraiser’s point of view, than changes made to the interior. So, let’s focus on the outside of your home and find some ways to increase its value without breaking the bank.

Paint is one of the best fixes and if you can get it on sale, you can usually paint a one story house for less than $500. Look for a good neutral color that will appeal to the eye no matter who is looking at it. You’ll need to do the work yourself to save money, but with a rented air compressor, you can easily finish painting your home in a weekend. Keep on top of any sales in your local area on paint and when you find one, take advantage of it.

Next, there are a lot of small fixes that you can do around the front of your house to add value. Plantings and landscaping can have a big impact on the value of your home and once again, this is an inexpensive and easy fix. Look at your local nursery for shrubs and small bushes, or even trees. One good tree has the potential of adding thousands of dollars to the value of your home when it is mature, so keep this in mind when making your purchase.

Adding flowers or flower beds around your home is a great fix and will improve the curb appeal greatly. You can easily add your own flower bed in a weekend, and the budget should be well below $500. If all you have to add are some new flowers, this can be done for around $50 if you shop smart. Adding a set of solar lights around the front of your home is also a great idea to make it look nicer, and you can usually get a set of at least eight for less than $100.

On the inside of your home, a quick coat of paint, sprucing up the kitchen and cleaning out the clutter can increase the value of your home. Look for little pieces of art to enhance your rooms, paint old appliances with metal paint and find new ways to make your space seem larger. These are all fixes that anyone can do and the results are well worth the amount of time and money that you spend getting everything done.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-24 05:21:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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