Monday, May 25, 2015
By John Voket
I am regularly talking about organizing and de-cluttering, so it was with great delight being clued in to the financial benefits awaiting potential home sellers for taking the time to organize and de-clutter.According to a Consumer Reports survey—that basic cleaning and de-cluttering, simple kitchen and bathroom upgrades, painting the right spaces, and sprucing up your curb appeal are all low-cost investments that can land you hundreds of dollars in return.
That survey puts increased sales potential as high as 3 to 5 percent—so over the next few months, we'll spend some time drilling into this huge ROI / DIY news, and how to make the most of small projects that can pay big when you go to sell your property.
Michelle Slatalla at Gardenista.com has a bunch of great ideas for curb appeal projects, including pruning trees so their silhouettes frame the house instead of blocking it. Slatalla says the best time to prune most trees is when they're dormant; it's easier to see the structure and shape of a tree when it doesn't have leaves.
When pruning, Slatalla says remove diseased or damaged branches first. Then prune for shape: remove low-hanging branches that obstruct views or hang over walkways or block access to driveways. Finally, thin the crown to allow light and air circulation.
How about replacing house numbers? If there an ugly font above your door, chances are it's more noticeable — and annoying — when you're not distracted by other colors and textures in the garden, Slatalla suggests.
We'll check out a few more of Slatalla's ideas in a future segment.
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