5 Ways To Maximize Your Curb Appeal

Posted by mtteam on with 0 Comment

When you come home after a hard day at work, a residence with plenty of curb appeal – a trim, yet cozy appearance and careful landscaping – lifts your spirits and gives you a warm sense of pride. In fact, we believe that curb appeal matters just as much when you’re living comfortably in your home as it does when you’re trying to sell it. After all, attention to this type of care is also important in maintaining your property and providing adequate protection from the elements for your house and belongings.

If you’re interested in maximizing your curb appeal — for the purpose of selling your home or NOT — keep reading to learn our top five tips for doing just that!

Replace Your Front Door

If your door is old or in disrepair, consider replacing it. But if it is in good shape, repainting can be just as effective—and far less expensive. We’d recommend choosing a color that compliments your space. While bold and bright hues, such as turquoise and cobalt, are attention-grabbing and very popular now, something more traditional such as charcoal black or burgundy will always appeal to the masses.

Spruce Up Your Driveway

Even your driveway can make a big statement. Having your asphalt or concrete driveway cleaned and sealed will only set you back about $400 to $600, but that shiny “new new” will make a big visual impact.

Over time, dirt and dust can also make additional surfaces on your home appear dingy. Spending the extra money to have your house, walkway, and front porch pressure washed can go a long way. Read more about that below!

Give It A Power Wash

Over time, algae, mold, and mildew growth can migrate under the siding and lead to expensive replacements and significant health concerns. Power washing your home on a regular basis will prevent buildup and lead to a healthier, cleaner living space…not to mention more pleasing to the eye.

While you’re at it, consider washing your windows for a sparkling, streak-free look. A little elbow grease and cleaner goes a long way!

Add Exterior Lighting

Exterior lighting makes every home look better at night. But path lights, flood lights, and lamp posts also add a safety benefit because they increase your home’s visibility and in doing so, beef up your sense of security.

Consider adding new front door sconces and a few lamp posts if you’re working on a budget or looking for something easy to install. In fact, solar-powered path lights cost around $30 to $50 each and if you stick them in a sunny spot, there’s no need for any wiring either!

Add Landscaping

We saved the most obvious for last! A lush lawn is the holy grail of curb appeal, but you can cover a lot of ground with a mower and a container garden. Add a few potted plants to your front entry space or some window boxes on your front porch.

If you go so far as to add shrubs and bushes, make sure your regularly trim, mow, and edge your yard to keep up that fresh look.

 

Building or Buying? Some Points To Consider Before Making Up Your Mind

Posted by mtteam on with 0 Comment

To buy a home or to build a home? That is the question. But when searching for a place to put down roots, it can be difficult to find one that has everything you want and need—especially if you have a specific location, location, location in mind. On the other hand, building a home from scratch takes guts and gumption, and if you hire the wrong team, it may not be as easy or cost-effective as you hope it to be at the start.

All in all, there are several factors to consider before deciding whether building a home or buying a home is a better option for you and your family. If you’re on the fence, keep reading to help make this life changing decision a little bit easier!

Pro Building: You can always get what you want.

The biggest advantage of building your own home is that you know you can get exactly what you want—as long as what you want fits into your price range, that is. Since you’re building your home from the ground up, you will be able to customize your home’s layout, flooring, colors, and unique features. In addition, you should consider the following pros listed below.

  • Newer homes are usually built to meet current building codes.
  • Newer homes are most always more energy efficient and include updated features.
  • You’re the first owner of your home and have a hand in creating it. No mystery there!
  • You won’t have to worry about repairs and replacements any time soon.
  • There is no competition amongst other home buyers. Save yourself some stress!
  • Newer homes are not made with toxic materials such as lead paint and asbestos.

Con Building: Good things take time.

The most important “con” to consider before building a home is that it may take much longer to make it to move-in day. The US Census Bureau estimates that it takes about 7 months to build a home from start to finish.

However, bad weather, natural disaster, and human errors can make the process take even longer than 7 months. The average time to close on a home purchase is just 45 days. In addition, you should consider the following cons listed below.

  • If you don’t work with a good builder, there may be unexpected costs and price increases.
    Between plotting out the land, creating a floor plan, and choosing materials, finishes, and colors, there’s a lot of decisions to make!
  • Get out your green thumb because you’ll also need to create a landscape.
  • While you don’t have to deal with a seller, you also may not have the opportunity to negotiate a lower price.

Pro Buying: It’s less of a commitment.

As exciting as building a home may be, it can also be a stressful experience…especially if you choose the wrong builder to help you along in the process. However when you build a home, you won’t have to worry about purchasing land, working with a builder, and making sure all of the design decisions stay within your budget. (Although, you won’t have to worry about much of that if you work with DeFatta Custom Homes anyways.) In addition, you should consider the following pros listed below.

  • You may be able to move in sooner rather than later as it takes less time to purchase and close on a home than it does to build one from scratch.
  • You won’t need to grow a lawn, wait for trees to mature, or figure out landscaping as your home will most likely already feature an outdoor landscaping design.
  • You may be able to negotiate a lower sales price.
  • You can make upgrades while you live in the home or once you have the time and money to make them happen.

Con Buying: You’ll have to make a few sacrifices.

While it can be stressful to build a home from scratch, if you work with the right builder, it allows you to have everything you’ve always wanted. That is almost never the case when you buy a home, as it was originally built to suit someone else’s lifestyle entirely. In addition, take a look at the following cons listed below.

  • Older pipes, electrical systems, and appliances may require costly maintenance, repairs, and replacements.
  • What’s more, older HVAC systems may result in higher energy costs throughout the year due to age-related inefficiencies.
  • You may experience buyer’s remorse if you decide to settle or compromise on what should have been dealbreakers.
  • Dealing with competition in the housing market is stressful in and of itself, especially if you’re looking to buy in a sought after neighborhood.

To close, we will leave you with this advice:

If you’re not sure whether you’d like to build a home or buy a home, give one of our experts at DeFatta Custom Homes a call. We’re happy to help you make the right decision for you, whether you decide to build with us in the end or not. We are looking forward to helping you find your dream home by any means necessary!