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Home » curb appeal

10 Outdoor Projects that Boost Value

March 29, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Whether you are improving a house to sell or just want to do a little home maintenance to enjoy your home, even more, working on the outside is just as important as working on the inside. With that being said, here are 10 simple outdoor projects that really boost your home’s value.

#1. Outdoor fire pit

Having an outdoor fire pit is almost a no-brainer. We can enjoy the view, listen to the waves, and stay toasty warm. This little project can realize a 78% return on your investment and can cost anywhere from $100-$5000 depending on how elaborate you want to go.

Exscape firepit

#2. Create an instant lawn with sod.

You can always reseed your lawn but if you want a quick fix, consider laying sod. It cost about $700 for a 1000 square-foot yard but you can boost your homes resell value by $1000 making it a healthy 143% return on your investment.

#3. Pave a gravel driveway.

Gravel driveways may be acceptable but if you really want to boost the look and appeal consider paving the driveway with pavers or just a new layer of gravel. Gravel driveways can be anywhere from $4000 on up but paving could be a lot more expensive, however, there will be a 75% return on your investment.

Read More: 3 tasks for preventative home maintenance

#4. Have a landscape makeover.

Luscious and neat landscaping can definitely increase your home’s value and it could give you a healthy 105% return on your investment. Consider natural flagstone, walkways, stone planters and mulch.

Related: Can too much mulch be a bad thing?

10 Outdoor Projects that Boost Value

#5. Add a wood deck or add-on.

Consider installing an attached or even a detached wooden deck or simply add on to what you may already have. It’s the perfect spot for relaxing and entertaining and can give you a return of almost 83%.

#6. Install a backyard patio.

This can be a pricey investment but it can give you a 60% return. Paver stone patios and outside living areas can range from about $4000 on up and concrete patios cost less than brick or flagstone patios.

More: Found your forever home? Here’s how to love it

#7. Outdoor kitchen.

Depending on how elaborate you want to go, this costly renovation can set you back between $10,000 and $25,000, however, it can give you a 100% to 200% rate of return. It can be built in, be plumbed, have electricity, a refrigerator and of course a great grill.

#8. Outdoor lighting.

Not only is it a safety thing but it can create magical ambiance in your yard. You get a 50% return on your investment for outdoor lighting either along the driveway, solar lighting, under about lighting, or porch lighting.

10 Outdoor Projects that Boost Value

#9. Install a sprinkler system.

One of the best investments for a great looking lawn (especially after you’ve laid the sod) is a buried sprinkler system. This can run between $3000 and $4000 but it can give you anywhere from a 40% to 50% rate of return and you could save a lot of water having things run on a timer.

Read More: 5 Simple spring home maintenance tasks

#10. Plant trees.

Not only is this good for the environment but it really boosts your rate of return on your house as well. It can give you shade, provide food if you plant fruit trees, and really give the home a mature and established look.

Start with some of these great outdoor projects to really improve the look of your house before people even walk-in. And, if you’re looking to sell your home please give us a call today. We’d love to price it for you and give our tips and tricks on how you can boost your home’s value.

 

Filed Under: Homeownership Tagged With: boost homes value, curb appeal, home maintenance

Should I Pay Attention or Be Concerned with Landscaping When Buying a Home?

January 24, 2018 by admin 1 Comment

Should I Pay Attention or Be Concerned with Landscaping When Buying a Home?

When most people buy a home, they look at the outside a little bit but most of the important stuff is inside, right? Not necessarily. As a buyer, sometimes the outside is just as important as the inside. I’m not talking about a few flowers in the front garden bed, but any large trees, root systems, or potentially hazardous issues with the yard or the lot. Here’s what I’m talking about.

Examine the existing trees. If you are unaware of native trees, potential hazards, or treat disease in our area, it’s important to higher a tree service professional. They can identify if a tree is diseased, dangerous, or if it’s being used for something else. We literally found an entire beehive in the middle of a hollowed tree. Not only was the tree dangerous, but the bees were pretty dangerous too.

If you have a brand-new home or a home that’s less than 10 years old, a lot of construction on the ground can make trees unsafe or very weak. They may not be planted very deep, so over the years, root systems can grow into pipes and under the foundation.

Read More: Great Buying Advice from Real People

A tree service professional can also tell you about the trees you should keep in those you should remove. They can take a look at the health of the tree, determine the age, how long the tree will last, and if it poses any hazards.

The lawn is also something that you might want to take a look at. If you lot has plenty of uncompacted topsoil, you should have a pretty good chance that growing some great grass. If the lawn is older, you may need a professional lawn care service to get back into a manicured state. Neglected lawns can have bare patches, need to be thatched, and a good dusting of fresh seed.

Related: How to Protect Young Trees from Wind Damage

Landscape inspection may also be a good idea. Normal homeowners inspections can cover a lot of additional issues such as draining, retaining walls, patios, exterior lighting, fencing, arrogation systems, and anything else that might be outside of the house.

The point is, don’t look past the landscaping when choosing your home. You want to make sure that your home is not only exactly what you hoped for, but is a safe place for you and your family.

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: curb appeal, home landscaping, landscaping

How to Enhance Your Beach Home’s Curb Appeal

April 12, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Most people that want to live by the beach also want the look and feel of a beach-themed home. This extends out of the house in the way of curb appeal too. But what’s the best way to enhance the beachy curb appeal of your oceanfront home?

How to Enhance Your Beach Home's Curb Appeal

First off, are you selling your home or making it your dream home? Because these two things can definitely call for different landscaping. If you’re selling, you’ll need to look at your home through the eyes of a buyer. Is the front of the house look? Is there peeling paint? Overgrown bushes or shrubs? Tired mulch or dead flowers? These are immediate needs that will need to be tended to before deciding on a theme or a style. If you have grass make sure it is mowed, trimmed, and edged. You want to create a cohesive feel using different types of plants to go with the landscaping.

Try and stick to the landscaping of the area. If you have a beachfront home you’re probably not going to be creating an English garden or Japanese garden. If you’re selling your home people expect to the beach themed look with lots of rock, driftwood, rope accents and flowing grasses. Stick to a core set of similar plants so the landscaping doesn’t look as though it’s broken up.

How to Enhance Your Beach Home's Curb Appeal

Another way to enhance your beachfront home is to develop a sense of flow making certain visual markers along sight lines that draw the eye from one end of the home or yard to the other. You might do this by creating a path that transitions in the same place the yard does at slightly different elevations or for shaded areas open up into the sunny areas.

If you’re creating a space for yourself consider what you use the landscaping for. Do you prefer to entertain in the front or in the back? Are you looking for a space that you can relax, hangout, entertain or simply curl up with a good book? Create a setting not just a space. If you have a big front porch consider putting out a hammock for big, oversized chair. Set out a small table and if the area is covered consider putting a couple books on the table, perfect for curling up, watching the traffic or the people walk by and enjoying a good book.

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Consider adding a rope fence either from the driveway or road to the home or in the back from the home to the beach. Have flowing grasses and variegated styles stretching over the path but make sure they don’t block too much of the path. A boardwalk is a great addition if you can spend a little money. This can be expensive but will certainly add a beach theme to the front or back of your home.

Beach themed homes are typically not cluttered or crowded so leave open space for the ocean air to sweep around the home and on the porch. There are certain flowers and roses that can grow up on lattices around door frames and windows that  perfectly frame the door and love the ocean air. 

If you’re planning on selling, talk to us about staging your home for today’s buyers. If you’re planning on creating a space for yourself, check out this great Pinterest page all about beach curb appeal.

Image by Josh Meek & Google Maps

Filed Under: Sellers Tagged With: beach home, curb appeal, landscape, sunset beach nc

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"Real estate transactions are usually involved and this was no exception. From our first meeting to the final script on the purchase contract, Frank and Karen were extraordinary examples of sterling professionalism, care, and concern. Tell me how many buyer brokers would make trips to the potential purchase to check on progress and assure all was in order without being asked. Frank and Karen did. Tell me how many would go the extra mile sans any solicitation to protect the buyers interest during each and every step of a transaction. Frank and Karen did. Tell me how many people have earned your implicit trust for their consistent honesty and integrity. Frank and Karen did. Frank and Karen were expert at developing and maintaining a relationship--a rare talent these days, and more important to us than the actual purchase itself. My wife and I gained more than a new home -- we gained genuine friends. Frank and Karen are consummate buyer brokers and we cannot recommend them highly enough. Frank and Karen, thank you both for the pleasure of having made your acquaintance and for all of your assistance. R & L."
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“Karen & Frank Baker are the best. They are very knowledgeable with the area & showed us many homes. When we made up our minds which one we wanted, they got us the best deal on it. We were very satisfided with them. After the purchased was made & we moved in, they were still there to answer any questions or problems that we might of had. Like I said, they are the BEST.”
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