Whether you're looking to sell your house in the near future or thinking 20 years ahead, there are a number of outdoor ideas to boost your house's value and enjoy your living space. CBS MoneyWatch has put together a list of the top 10 projects to complete before putting your house on the market. Here is a list of the 10 updates you can do to boost your home's value, though some I have alternatives for.
Create curb appeal--Dress up the front of your house in a variety of ways including a front walkway, adding planters/potted plants, add flowering shrubs, a deciduous tree (one that sheds its leaves every year) and mulch with landscaping bark where needed.
Seed your lawn--People like to see a yard that looks alive, not dead. Seed bare spots with a grass blend that thrives in your area or use an alternative seed blend of clover as groundcover.
Sod your lawn--If you want oyur house to be portrayed with room to run, find a peice that can work as a traditional lawn. I personally don't recommend large, thick grass lawns of sod, but people, especially families, like to see a place for standard play to occur.
Have a standard lawn care program--Again, I don't subscribe to the 'norm' on lawn care, but if you do have lawn, make sure it is maintained well.
Build a deck--Who doesn't want an outdoor hang space to enjoy those summer days?
Put in a patio--People want a space to entertain and relax in the elements.
Build an outdoor firepit--Great for entertaining and more intimate nights at home.
Build an outdoor fireplace--A bonus to the outdoor patio for cooking and lounging around.
Improve your softscaping--Softscaping entails planting trees, shrubs, perennials, natural edging and boulder accents.
Build a swimming pool--Here in VT, we have a wonderful array of Rivers and Lakes to splash in, but if a pool apeals to you, indulge. It will only help in the selling process.