If you are planning to sell your home or simply looking to update its appearance, you probably understand just how important “curb appeal” is to everyone. Buyers will make a quick decision whether your home is worth looking at by the way that it appears from the street while you want to own a home that is your pride and joy.

Unless your home is dilapidated and requiring a complete renovation, you can handle most exterior home improvement jobs yourself. If your home is somewhere between looking nice and looking awful, you can contract out some of the updates to quickly bring your house up to par.

Taking An Objective Look

Oftentimes we’re our own worst enemy to making changes that can benefit us. Usually, some emotional tie binds us to the way that something appears, causing us to hold on to things that are outdated, out of place, or simply ugly. Therefore, when you stand in front of your home, try to look at it from the vantage point of a complete stranger.

Are the windows dirty? You might not need to paint the outside trim around the windows, but cleaning the glass can work wonders. Clean windows reflect light and can create a special glow for any home, adding visual appeal to your residence.

Are the bushes overgrown? Your green thumb is very evident as your shrubbery can well attest. But, it could need trimming back, even require the removal of some plants. If bushes are blocking your view of the front door or providing cover for burglars, trim them back accordingly.

Is your lawn trimmed? You need not have a perfectly green and crab grass free lawn, but plugging holes and filling in bare spots with seed can enhance your home’s visual appeal. Keep your grass trimmed and orderly, rake up fall leaves, and do something about all of those dandelions!

Is your house number visible? If you have a rural mailbox, make sure that the house number can be read on it. These numbers should also be on your home and easily seen from the street. Painting or replacing of the same may be in order.

Are cracks evident? No, not in your home’s foundation which can be a problem, rather can they be seen in sidewalks and driveways? Unless actual pieces are missing, you won’t have to do a major repair, but leveling upraised concrete, patching macadam, and filling in cracks can bolster your home’s appearance, extend the life of your walkways, and protect people from falling.

Can flowers be seen? You don’t have to be a horticulturist nor do you need to be a gardener to have flowers planted in front of your home. Seasonally appropriate flowers (i.e., mums in the fall, crocuses in the spring, and carnations in the summer) add to your home’s visual appeal. Remove dead flowers at once; pull up weeds and consider putting down mulch.

Does furniture and lawn ornaments distract? We have a neighbor whose lawn is filled with ornamentation including statues, figurines, wind mills, you name it. To say that it is the talk of the neighborhood would be accurate! Clearly, one’s love of yard ornamentation should be limited to a few tasteful items and even then most are best placed quietly in an enclosed backyard. Don’t count on your buyers sharing the same tastes in outdoor furniture as you have!

Do your gutters overfloweth? Plant life is lovely, but not when mystery weeds grow out of your gutters. Gutters should be cleaned twice each year — in the Spring following tree budding and in the fall following the last leaf hitting the ground. Let your gutters do what they are meant to do: remove water not, serve as hanging gardens!

Getting Help As Needed

If your home improvement projects are a bit more difficult, then hire the right people to do the work. A home contractor can help bring your home up to par in no time and a quality home improvement site can provide the tips you need to take on your projects.

Improving your home’s visual appeal can take as little as a few hours to complete or up to a weekend’s worth of activity. Regardless of the work at hand, once you are done you’ll be left with a home that you can be proud of and a house that will appeal to potential buyers.

Tags: Home Improvement, home renovation, Home Tips

Travel Tip

The 4th of July is next Friday. Instead of traveling to expense gas, may we suggest 4th of July activities closer to home.  Get ideas:

4th of July celebration database
4th of July cooking

news results for 4th of July fireworks

Home Improvement Tip

Nothing like grilling on the 4th — have your considered smoking some meat? Check out the latest in home grilling for your 4th celebration.

home grills and other grilling information

Consumer Financing Tip

Still looking for that new home? It’s never been a better time to buy. Equip yourself with the knowledge and information you need to fnd the right home at the right price at the right mortgage lending terms:

view our home buying center for information | understand how best to finance your home

Credit Card Tip: Build Up Those Miles

College Planning Tip

Monthly Checklist for June 29

see our BLOG:
campus life for planning tips and other campus gossip

Tags: Home Tips, traveling tips, Weekly Tips

You Can Gain Control Over Your Electrical Bill

Consumers are reeling from the sudden shoot up in fuel prices at the pump, paying $4 or more per gallon for regular gasoline. Unfortunately, home energy prices are also going up, stinging homeowners with increases of !0-50% over the past year.

While you may be able to cut back on driving, you may not be able to do so with cooling your home, especially if you live in an area where high temperatures and stifling humidity reigns supreme all summer long.

There are ways you can reduce your energy consumption without being very uncomfortable this summer. Less energy burned means more money that will stay in your wallet, a good thing because you’ll need those extra funds to pay for gas!

The following tips can help you gain control over your electrical usage this summer:

Replace your thermostat — If you still have a manually operated thermostat, consider replacing it with an electronic one. By automatically setting the inside temperatures to go up and go down at strategic times of the day (like just before you come home from work), you’ll be able to cool down the house without wasting electricity. Consider also getting your HVAC system tuned up for the hottest months of the year.

Close your blinds — If any part of your home gets direct sunlight at certain times of the day, make sure your blinds are closed and your curtains drawn during those hours. Your air-conditioner won’t need to kick on as quickly when the inside of your home remains cooler longer.

Run the dishwasher and clean clothes at night — Many utility companies structure their rates to charge you more for using their services during peak hours. Hold off washing the dishes and running the dishwasher until the evening and you’ll save a nice amount of money. Check with your electrical company to find out when the lowest rates apply.

Take control of your lighting — Turn lights off when not needed and consider replacing bulbs with lower watt bulbs wherever possible. Also, incandescent lighting uses less energy than fluorescent lighting.

Take control of your water heater – Especially in the summer months, you can lower the temperature of your water heater and still have it hot enough to sanitize dishes and get you clean. Wrap the unit in insulation and it won’t have to work as hard to warm up your water.

Consider air drying your clothes — Clothing dryers are a wonderful convenience, but if you can air dry at least some of your clothes, then you can use your dryer less and save electricity.

Microwave is the better way — People who own a microwave and an electric oven can save money by choosing the microwave for cooking. If you can cook it in either oven, then put it in the microwave for quicker cooking and less strain on your electrical system.

Finally, if you are planning to buy new appliances this year, choose those with an Energy Star rating at the top end of the scale to reduce your energy consumption even further.

Tags: electricity, ENERGY STAR, Home Improvement, Home Tips