Plan Ahead Before You Sell Your No.1 Asset And Increase Your Homes Value

In order to increase the value of their home, most people think that they have to install a large Spa quality bathroom, the size of a small apartment or a trendy kitchen with the latest fad counter top and a big island professional cook area.

Don’t get me wrong the conditions inside your home are very important, such as a nice clean painted walls, carpet and other floor conditions. Make sure that the interior of your home shows well.

How Can You Increase Your Property Value The Most?

1. Curb Appeal

First impressions are always the most important. What

condition is the landscaping? Make sure the grass is in good condition, no weeds

in the shrub beds and the shrubs are pruned.

In today’s Housing Market Slump you will have to do whatever you can to make your property stand out.

When a buyer drives up to the home will they be impressed or just keep driving.

If they are not happy with what they see, it won’t make any difference whether

you have gold plated faucets or granite counter top. Walt McDonald of the

National Association of Realtors tells people, if they don’t fix up your landscaping, you won’t get top dollar

If your home has great landscaping, you will attract more buyers and get a quicker sale. An added bonus would be a boost in your sale price. If you spend 5% of the value of your home, on your home landscaping and do it with a good designed plan, you might get 150% to 200% return on your money spent.

It could translate to a 15% increase in your property value.

You will be rewarded if you plan ahead and have the work completed at least 2 years ahead of when you think you would be ready to place the home on the market. It takes awhile for a landscape to mature. Remember, from landscape installation to sale time, maintenance is critical. It takes a great design, proper installation, and regular maintenance to make a beautiful completed landscape setting Landscaping include the total picture, Hardscape and Plantscape. The hot trend at the moment is a curving pathway of concrete pavers or brick from the street to the front door. You must eliminate that 3 foot wide front walk from the. garage to the

front door. Flower planting or large containers near the front entrance will help to give the home a inviting appearance.

2. What about the backyard?

Develop a outdoor living area and bring the indoors out. We are seeing outdoor rooms and living spaces that have all the features of indoor kitchens and family rooms. That may mean cooking areas such as a barbecue fire pit or a whole professional grade kitchen setup in the backyard , pool with a build-in-bar with stools or a super designed gazebos.

Maybe a stone fireplace and full kitchen right on the patio with a shade structure built over the patio. Of course, a great deck and or patio is a natural extension of the indoors out.

Just remember, that a major Hardscape job may injure existing tree roots. Rope off areas around trees to prevent damage.

In summary, A good old rule of thumb would be to invest 10% of the property value in the landscaping. If your home is worth $250,000, 10% would be $25,000 needed to make it look great and family enjoyable. If you have a $1000,000 home don’t cut your landscape budget to $25,000 because it won’t work.

Landscaping will make the home stand out and It should fit into the surrounding environmental.