7 landscaping tips

If prospective buyers looked at your house today, what would they see outside? A giant evergreen that looks as if it might swallow the station wagon, perhaps, scraggly old foundation plants or maybe a kitchen-table view of the neighbors’ kids’ trampoline?

If so, you have a truly inexpensive opportunity to boost your home’s curb appeal.

By spending $500 to $3,000 on plants and materials and a few hours of time, you can achieve a well-landscaped look without shelling out for professional help.

Besides the personal enjoyment you’ll get from a prettier yard, landscaping adds more value than almost any other home renovation.

A recent Michigan State University study found that depending on where the house is located, high-quality landscaping adds 5 percent to 11 percent to its price.

If you have no immediate plans to move, all the better: Landscaping is the one home improvement that actually appreciates over time.

So how do you decide which projects to tackle? That depends on how long you think you’ll be around to enjoy the results.

Will this renovation project pay off?

Cruising the web I found this neat tool.  CNNMoney, has teamed with Remodeling Magazine to create a renovation estimate tool.  For example, I am always wondering what it would take to finish out a basement.   The average cost in 2005 was $56, 724.00.  This webpage shows you the average cost of 25 common projects.  More importantly, it shows what you get back. 

 Click here to play: CNNMoney Renovation Wizard