Do You Know How To Increase The Value Of Your Home?

by: Duncan Judson

Your own home, a piece of property with a building and some unique qualities. Sounds pretty simple, not really. Buying and maintaining a home is not the easiest task on the planet. Anywhere on this planet the ability to own a home has comes great responsibility. Homeowners are met with the challenges of maintenance, repairs, taxes, house payments, and those little buggers called utility bills. Homeowners work very hard a retaining the value of their homes by performing maintenance, doing the necessary repairs, paying the taxes, and utility bills. But one overlooked task can improve the value of your home, and even the homes around you. Landscaping your property is the best way to increase your property value.

What is the first view person have of your home? Yah, the landscaping of your property. Appraisers look at the exterior of your home, and than compare it to the entire neighborhood. Block communities evaluate your landscaping to determine if it is accordance with the block by-laws. Your city evaluates your landscaping to determine if your yard is contributing to the appeal of the neighborhood, and the city itself. So, what can one do to increase the value of your home; landscaping up-grades.

I learned from The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) reports that appropriate landscaping improvements are estimated to return 100 to 200 percent of their cost when a house is sold, arguably the best return on investment of any home improvement you can make. How much to spend? One rule of thumb is to invest 5 to 10 percent of your house's worth. by Stefan J. Scholl, J.D. - Exclusive Buyer Agent. Now armed with information like this you can understand how landscaping can dramatically increase the value of your home.

Now here is another piece of information I discovered! According to Money magazine (May 2003), spending on landscaping and installation has more than tripled in the past five years, hitting .3 billion in 2002. And no wonder it offers the best return on investment of any home improvement you can make. Can you imagine what a ,000 Investment could do for the value of your home? Think about what you want and how you will use your landscaping dollars for? Formal Entertaining, Herb Gardens, and Children's Playgrounds are all possibilities. Don’t Limit Yourself to Plants and Trees Maybe You Would Like a Fence, a Fountain, a Deck, a Patio, or Other Outdoor Elements.

Make a realistic budget. One rule of thumb is to invest 5 to 10 percent of your house's worth. If this seems steep, consider that appropriate landscape improvements are estimated to return 100 to 200 percent of their cost when a house is sold.

In conclusion, Landscaping increases the value of your home, and increases the sale value when selling your home, just two major impacts from one investment. The landscaping costs do not have to be outrageous. Study landscaping books and magazines to discover the essential information of a challenging project like this. Read landscaping books to learn the proper steps necessary to get the job done right. I suggest a book called “Homeowners Guide To Landscaping” at http://www.theviralsource.com/landscaping2.htm Great book that guides you from planning your project to installing your plans.

About The Author

Duncan Judson owner/webmaster of the Viral Source http://www.theviralsource.com. Visit and download free ebooks. duncantracking@yahoo.com

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