Landscaping Content Index - Page 1

Upgrading your landscaping and fixing the exterior of your home can really boost the value of your property. Like any construction project, your ultimate landscape plan is limited only by your creativity and budget. Learn more here about landscaping and other outdoor projects in the articles, blog posts, videos and radio shows.

**Bad Neighbors Fight Over Access To Yard** Neighbors can turn into bad neighbors when fighting over fences or yard access and maintenance issues. The best way to deal with a bad neighbor is usually through communication, but you may be able to get some legal help. Look up your local ordinances to see what kind of rights you're given to your neighbors land to maintain your own property. A bad neighbor can ruin an otherwise perfect home for you, so try to resolve bad neighbor situations so both neighbors are happy.

**More Reasons Why Your House Won't Sell** If you are getting the showings, but your house won't sell, what should you do. Make sure that you understand the listing price of your home and that it is competitive with other homes. Make sure that the condition of your home is in as good a shape as possible. While you can't change the location of the home, location, location, location is still the norm in real estate and you should understand how that affects your home. Finally, make sure you understand the market when it comes to the commission you are paying your broker and how much of that commission will be paid to the agent that brings a buyer to buy your home. If you don't understand each of these issues, you have added more reasons to why your house won't sell.

Saving to buy a home? How much should you save? What will your housing expenses be? When deciding to buy a home or a house, you need to answer these questions to have a better idea and know how much you will be able to afford. You might be saving money monthly now to buy a home in the future. And, now is the right time to plan for those initial costs to buy a home and then have savings for housing expenses that will come later.

Seller disclosure is required in most states, meaning a seller has to reveal any defects or problems with the house to a buyer. However, the seller disclosure laws and requirements vary greatly from state to state. If a buyer discovers problems with the home that they think were not revealed through seller disclosure, they should evaluate the money, time and effort it will take to fix the problem. Often it's a simple fix to the house, but the seller disclosure lawsuit can leave you with a lot of legal fees.

Renovation costs have soared out of control - even in the current recession. You'd think that renovation costs would be less because fewer home improvement contractors are employed. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Consumers, mindful of renovation costs are staging their home improvement projects. Doing home improvement projects in phases lowers renovation costs.

The housing market is still slow, but some homeowners are selling their houses. You may ask "why my house won't sell?" If you're a buyer who is having trouble selling your house, there may be a reason why you can't sell, but your neighbor down the street just sold their house. Make sure your house looks good in pictures, is well staged, and is priced competitively for the neighborhood. If your house is in top condition, make sure that your broker is receiving a good commission as incentive, and that they will split that commission with a buyer's agent.

What are the true costs of owning and maintaining a home. If you're preparing a budget, you need to factor in these cost of ownership. Not only will you have to replace fixtures, appliances, and carpet, but you'll need to change filters, batteries and smoke detectors regularly as well. Landscaping, snow removal and other costs of owning and maintaining your home and rental property can expand if you're not careful. Before you buy, be sure to calculate the home ownership costs for a home or rental property.

A homeowner wants to complete some home improvement before selling his home in a few years. Taking on home improvement before moving may not make it easy to recoup the costs of the improvement. There are a few minor home improvements that can be done cheaply and could improve your selling price.

A new home buyer is looking for a lender they can trust and meet with in person, rather than giving personal information over the internet to websites that do mortgage pre-approval. No matter whether you walk-in, or apply over the internet, mortgage loan approval requires sharing personal information including credit history, income and other personal finance details.

A homeowner found that parts of their property were actually part of a neighboring lot and contacted the builder. The builder moved everything but the driveway, which a neighbor said was still part of his property. The homeowner is considering going after the builder for not properly taking care of the problem.