Home Landscaping Ideas and the Real Estate Market

By definition, home landscaping, means arranging or modifying the features of the grounds around a home to improve the property from the standpoint of aesthetic ideas and/or practical usage. Ideas for practical improvements should not be difficult to arrive at: you yourself have been living and gardening on this property, and no one knows the deficiencies of its landscape design better than you. Perhaps there are garden areas desperately in need of better drainage, for instance. Or there may be large trees near your home that need to be limbed. But it may be difficult to arrive at a firm idea of just how to improve a property aesthetically.

The very first question that you have to ask yourself is this: Do I plan on staying on this property forever, or will I be placing it in a real estate listing at some point? This is no question to scoff at. Answering the question will clarify your priorities and help establish an overarching idea for your home landscaping projects. If you are home landscaping for yourself as a lifelong resident on the property, you need only consult your own tastes. But if your property is fated to be a real estate listing, then you are essentially landscaping for other people's tastes -- namely, the tastes of potential real estate buyers, which is the subject of Page 2.

But this much can be said right away: as in other aspects of your life, some of the best home landscaping decisions result from learning what not to do. Excited at the prospect of starting with a blank slate, some do it yourselfers commit themselves to the idea that they will begin a home landscaping makeover by removing a large tree from their landscape. The American Nursery & Landscape Association, however, points out how bad an idea this can be:

"In one study, 83% of Realtors believe that mature trees have a 'strong or moderate impact' on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98% (Source: 'American Forests, Arbor National Mortgage')."

Say a spiffy home landscaping design could add about 15% to the value of your real estate (even if that figure is on the high end, let's just use it as an example). Putting that into perspective: for real estate valued in the $200,000 - $225,000 range (before considering its home landscaping), an effective home landscaping design could add $30,000 to its value. How often do you get to make a $30,000 decision? Get the idea? The home landscaping issue amounts to a major decision in your life.

It's important that such decisions not be based on arbitrary ideas, or criteria overly personalized. This is not the time to get in touch with your inner self. In making a $30,000 decision about a stock investment, you'd want hard, objective facts to guide you, right? At the very least, you'd like to explore the ideas of others, wouldn't you? Well, you need to seek the same kinds of guides in the matter of home landscaping design.

But what might those guides be? And how do you ascertain what kinds of home landscaping represent the current trends for the real estate market? Fortunately, the resources for home landscaping design ideas are so numerous that your challenge will be not in finding the ideas, but in sifting through all of them and prioritizing. In addition to the selling trends, you'll always want to provide your home landscaping with as much potential as possible for fall color and beautiful winter scenes -- because this never goes out of style. Below are just a few tips for mining home landscaping ideas:

Observe what other people are doing with their home landscaping designs. When possible, discuss with them the reasons behind their choice of home landscaping elements and the intentions behind them.
Magazines, books, television and the Web all provide an abundance of information on what kinds of home landscaping designs are currently "selling."

Consult with a professional in the landscape design field.
If you don't want to pay for a landscape designer's advice, at least try to mine some ideas from your local nursery.
Real estate agents see the reactions of potential buyers to home landscaping day in and day out; consult with them on trends.
Remember, potential buyers may not share your personal tastes -- that's what necessitates all this research on your part, as the seller. For instance, you may not mind spending time puttering around outside, may have no desire for water features on your landscape, and may not care about winter color. But the trend has been for homebuyers to seek:

Low maintenance home landscapes. For instance, if there's a choice between a dwarf version of a tree and a larger version, choose the dwarf -- it won't need to be pruned as much.
Artificial ponds, fountains and waterfalls. The most striking landscape designs have a focal point, or accent. A well-executed water feature is a focal point that can set your property apart from the rest.
Year-round visual interest. Evergreens and many berry-producing shrubs are excellent antidotes to winter bleakness.

The trend is worth expanding upon. Visual interest goes beyond color. For instance, fantastic winter scenes can be created through the employment of hardscape design elements such as stone walls, gazeboes and arbors. To soften up such hardscape design features, include tall ornamental grasses or other graceful elements. In fact, even without the hardscape design elements, ornamental grasses can provide you with some wonderful winter scenes.

Incidentally, don't think that, just because it may be a hot and humid day at the time you happen to read this article, talk of "winter scenes" is out of line. The time to work on furnishing your home landscaping with the potential for winter scenes is not when it's cold outside and two feet of snow lies on the ground. There's very little the homeowner can do at that point to improve the landscaping. You must exercise foresight. It is your spring and summer work that will determine how good your landscaping looks in winter. After all, it's pretty hard to plant ornamental grasses in the winter! Much of your hardscape design work also should be done in good weather.

In addition to providing winter scenes, don't overlook ways that you can inject maximum color into the spring and fall landscapes, too:

If you plant bulbs in the fall, you won't have to wait until May for spring color.
Some perennials, if cut back properly after their first blooming, will produce a second set of blooms later in the summer or in early fall.

While trees such as maples receive all the accolades for fall color, don't neglect to plant some of the shrubs and vines resplendent in fall color, as listed in The Top 10 Shrubs and Vines for Fall Color.
Don't pass up 2-for-1 deals. Euonymus alatus, or "burning bush" doubles as a plant valuable both for fall and winter scenes. In the fall it is valued for its foliage. A deciduous shrub, its potential for winter scenes lies in its bark. Protruding from Euonymus alatus stems is a corky membrane that gives them an oddly squarish shape. This shape traps and holds snow, making for some terrific winter scenes. Because burning bushes are invasive plants, however, make sure you keep in under control or look for alternatives.

Top Ten Short Sale Questions

1. What happens to the seller's credit rating when they allow an investor to short sell their property?

What typically happens is the loan will show up as "paid" on their credit report; however there will be a notation that says "settled for less than originally owed" or something along these lines. It is more favorable for a homeowner to short sell than to have a foreclosure on their credit report.

2. Where do you find investors for short sales?

Depending on where you live, you may see investors who advertise with bandit signs or in your local newspaper. Call the investors directly and ask them if they are experienced in doing short sales and if they would be interested in working with you. Another good place is your local real estate investors club meeting.

3. Define a short sale?

A short sale is really a form of pre-foreclosure sale and occurs when the mortgagee agrees to accept less than the loan amount to avoid foreclosure. A negotiated short sale results in a discounted purchase price for the buyer. The buyer would finance the acquisition much the same as in any conventional realty acquisition... but without the luxury of time.

4. Can an owner profit from a short sale?

The seller cannot profit (monetarily) from a pre-foreclosure short sale.. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

5. How do bankruptcies affect the possibility of doing a short sale?

Most mortgagees won't consider a short sale if the homeowner is in bankruptcy...why? Because negotiating a short sale payoff is considered a collection activity. Collection activities are prohibited in bankruptcy.

6. Can somebody tell me what documents do I have to include in a short sale package?

Documents depend on the lender. Each lender has different requirements. It is typical to require hardship letter, purchase and sales contract, ECOR, settlement statement (HUD 1), net sheet, pay stubs, bank statements, personal financial sheet (monthly budget), amongst other things.

7. What percentage of mortgage companies send someone out for an appraisal on a possible short sale?

All lenders order a BPO or full appraisal of the property before making their decision to accept or reject the short sale offer. This is there only way of assessing the value of the property.

8. How late in the pre-foreclosure process can you start a short sale?

Try to allow a window of at least 90 days to effectuate a mortgagee approved, pre-foreclosure Short Sale.

9. What is a Due on Sale clause?

"Due on Sale" Clause (DOS) Provision in a mortgage or deed of trust calling for the total payoff of the loan balance in the event of a sale or transfer of title to the secured real property. A contract provision which authorizes the lender, at its option, to declare immediately due and payable sums secured by the lender's security instrument upon a sale of all or any part of the real property securing the loan without the lender's prior written consent.

For purposes of this definition, a sale or transfer means the conveyance of real property of any right, title or interest therein, whether legal or equitable, whether voluntary or involuntary, by for deed, leasehold interest with a term greater than three years, lease-option contract or any other method of conveyance of real property interests. Standard language which states that the loan must be paid when a house is sold.

10. Will banks allow a short sale when the owner has some or a good amount of equity?

If a property has what the lender would consider a substantial amount of equity, chances are they would consider allowing the property to foreclose and then reselling it closer to the retail value. Focus on homes that do not have much equity. Your job will be to create the equity in the home by negotiating a successful short sale.