Now that the weather is holding steady at a comfortable temperature (well, except for this cold front which had me hurrying through a 50-something degree morning), it’s time for some outdoor projects around the house. I have been itching to whip our back deck into shape, but just haven’t budgeted enough for it. I’m also a little lacking when it comes to outdoor decor vision…But I’m not giving up yet.

Today, I wanted to rehash a very simple outdoor in-celebration-of-spring update that we recently made to the patch of grass and vegetation in front of our townhome. Meet our cheerful planter, Mr. Frog (boy am I creative at naming our inanimate objects, as also seen here).

His big gaping mouth is actually quite pretty when spilling over with blooms. Sort of reminds me of the cartoon fish in the “Kiss the Girl” segment of “The Little Mermaid” – You know, the…

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Rainbowlandscaping's Weblog

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Killer curb appeal is something we all strive for and don’t always find it easy to achieve.  Here are our top 10 tips on why curb appeal is important and how your home can have curb appeal that will be the envy of all your neighbors.

1) Why curb appeal?  First impressions are everything whether selling your home or staying put.  When people come to your front door or just walk by the first impression of your home says it all.

2) Paint your front door!  Find a great color that coordinates with your  home’s color.  Make sure that the color you pick gives contrast between the front door and the facade of the house.

3) Add appealing and artistic house numbers and put out some beautiful, colorful potted plants.

4) Want instant curb appeal?  Have a beautifully manicured lawn.  Cut the grass regularly and weed…

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Hassle-Free Landlord

Imagine you are the potential tenant.  You are looking for a home to rent.  You turn down a street that would be a convenient and desirable location for you to move to.  You see two houses on the same block with “FOR RENT” signs showing.  The first home has an overgrown lawn, the bushes are unkempt and the trash cans have blown over in the wind.  On the second home the lawn is trimmed, the bushes have been clipped and there are even a few flowers in the bed out front.  Which home do you call to look at first?

Aside from the few obvious lawn care and foliage needs, there are some inexpensive and small things to do that can make all the difference when someone sees your property for the first time.

1. Clean up any trash lying around.  This includes broken lawn furniture, toys, trash and broken trash…

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Julie Rosenberg Painting

Add some shutters.  Plant some shrubs.  Paint the front door.  It makes all the difference.

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So our first house is pretty standard for the neighborhood: 30-something year old split level with shutters and ho-hum landscaping (on our giant to-do list) on a corner lot. The hubby and I both have laundry lists of things we would like to do to the house to make it “ours”… among those things is the outside of the house. As I drive through the neighborhood each day I notice the “curb appeal” throughout. So I got to thinking… The inside is for us. We can take all the time in the world to experiment with furniture arrangements, paint one room at a time, hang pictures, arrange books on shelves and so on. But the outside of our home is the welcome mat to the rest.  The hubby and I hadn’t initially discussed how we felt about living on a corner so I was surprised when he expressed that he felt…

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colorado by kate

Here are 11 ideas to help make your home more attractive to potential buyers.

1. The outside must shine.  You’d be surprised at how many buyers “sell themselves” on your house on the basis of their first impression as they drive up the street.  It’s called curb appeal.  You can enhance curb appeal by making sure the lawn is mowed, the bushes are trimmed, and the flower beds are freshly mulched.  Spending a few hundred dollars on fresh paint on the front of the house can return thousands of dollars in sale price.  Especially touch up the trim.
2. The inside must look new.  Again, paint is cheap.  Be your own worst critic.  If you think a room could be brightened with a fresh coat of paint, do it.
3. Make cosmetic repairs.  Windows that are cracked, holes in the walls, and tiles that are chipped all send the wrong message to…

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Midwestliving's Blog

So you’ve had that morning cup of coffee or tea and what to do with the remaining boiling water?  Take it out to your driveway or sidewalk and pour it over those pesky weeds that have taken root in the cracks!  Make sure to stand back to avoid splashing burns, but the hot water burns the weeds dead but cools quickly enough to save those wanted plants near the edges of your drive and walkways.  Once they are dry and dead, simply take a flat shovel and scrape them away!

This technique works great, is green, and makes your home look beautiful from the curb!  Share a tip that you have for  quick clean up around the home!

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