1. Give it a good clean

The outdoor surfaces of our homes often don’t get the same amount of love as the interior when it comes to cleaning. After all, it’s inevitably just going to get dirty again. All that dust and dirt builds up though, so consider investing in a heavy-duty cleaning before listing your home. Pressure washing your driveway, siding, and porch can make a noticeable difference in your home’s appearance. Plus, it gives you a better idea of what else might need to be replaced or repaired to boost your curb appeal in other ways.

2. Repaint

You knew this one was coming. If the exterior paint on your home is looking a little worse for wear, we recommend a fresh coat of paint before you list your home. And if you don’t have the time or budget to repaint the whole exterior, consider making a statement by painting just your front door in an accent color.

3. Hang window boxes

Window boxes are long, narrow planters designed to showcase flowers or plants right below your window. You can find one that fits your style at most home and garden stores. Or, if you’re feeling crafty, gather up the supplies and build them yourself! Window boxes can add color, dimension, and charm to your home’s exterior and really dress up your outdoor space.

4. Don’t skip the landscaping

First things first, mow that lawn and prune your trees. And if the front of your house looks a little bare and boring, liven it up by planting flowers. We recommend perennials, not annuals, because perennials grow again in the spring without needing to be replanted. Annuals, on the other hand, must be replanted every year. Other factors to consider are the plant’s sunlight, shade, soil type, and water needs. It’s important to find out what kinds of plants would survive in your front yard and porch before you plant.

5. Hang potted plants and greenery

Speaking of plants, do you have a covered front porch? You could maximize that open space and hang planters from your porch ceiling. It’s a great way to improve your curb appeal and it adds dimension, drawing eyes upward. Get creative and hang planters of different colors, sizes, and shapes that reflect your home’s personality. Take the look a step further by planting draping greenery like ivy or pothos plants.

6. Give your mailbox a makeover

Paint your mailbox to match your front door. Plant flowers at the base of the mailbox post. Sand and varnish, repaint, or replace the post—the list goes on. There are countless ways to bring your mailbox to life and any one of these creative touches can make it stand out from the rest of the block. Just don’t go overboard personalizing it to the point that potential buyers couldn’t see it as their own.

7. Replace gutters and downspouts

Replacing gutters and downspouts might not be the most glamorous of updates, but it impacts your home’s curb appeal more than you might think. Even if your gutters don’t need to be fully replaced, cleaning and securing any areas that are not attached to the home properly will give your potential buyers one less thing to worry about in terms of the home’s functionality.

8. Replace hardware

From light fixtures to doorknobs to your address numbers, refreshing the finishes on your outdoor hardware can give your home an instant lift. This is also an easy DIY update that takes minimal time if you’re wondering how to boost curb appeal on short notice.

Any other tips on how to boost curb appeal?

Maybe the biggest rule of prepping your home for sale is to keep your decor choices—inside and out—neutral. Buyers should be able to envision the space with their own belongings and tastes, and that’s hard to do if your personal style is on display. When it comes to curb appeal, here are a few things to avoid:

• Lawn decorations
• Visible garbage/recycling cans
• Window decals

Sorry to your lawn gnomes, but it’s not their time to shine. For more tips on nailing your home sale or boosting curb appeal, reach out to our team anytime.

Whether you’re selling your home or you just want to put your best foot forward for your HOA, curb appeal can make a big difference in how your home is perceived.

The post How to Boost Curb Appeal in 8 Easy Steps appeared first on Cardinal Financial.

Your 8-Step Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

• Tidy your yard
• Declutter your gutters
• Trim your trees
• Prime your lawn
• Store your equipment properly
• Prep your pipes
• Check your HVAC system
• Complete outstanding repairs

1. Tidy your yard

First up on your fall home maintenance checklist: Take a look at your yard and tidy as needed. Rake and bag the leaves, remove dead bushes, branches, and shrubs, and pull up any dead plants and weeds. If you have a composter, now is a good time to feed it with your lawn’s refuse and generate some nutrients for springtime gardening.

A note on raking: When it comes to raking leaves, less is more. You’ll want to leave a thin layer of leaves to provide nutrients for your lawn and offer winter hibernation habitats for frogs and other small creatures. Avoid more than 50% leaf coverage of your yard, though. With too many leaves, your grass will be smothered and soggy when spring rolls around.

2. Declutter your gutters

Decluttering: It’s not just for closets. Although it might be an unpopular task, cleaning your gutters is actually one of the best ways to take care of your home. After clearing leaves and debris from the gutters, don’t forget to check the downspouts and make sure a clear path exists for the snow to melt and drain away from the house.

3. Trim your trees

Our next fall home maintenance tip is to scan your trees for dead or low-hanging branches. Trim back any that are resting on the roof or brushing up against the windows and siding. If it snows in your area, it could weigh down these branches to the point where they snap and cause collateral damage to your home.

4. Prime your lawn

Next, take winter preparation a step further by aerating, fertilizing, and seeding your lawn. This way, you’ll be ahead of the game when the spring rains come. While you’re at it, eyeball the foundation of your home for any spots where the soil may be sinking. Filling those ruts now will help melting snow and ice flow away from the house and prevent potential water damage to your basement and foundation.

5. Store your equipment properly

Don’t wait until you need it to make sure your home maintenance equipment is stored and working properly. For lawnmowers and other gasoline-powered equipment, drain the fuel and store it in a safe container (fuel that sits in the tank for too long may cause corrosion). Assess your winter supplies and make sure you’re stocked up on basics like antifreeze, shovels, salt, and car window scrapers as needed.

6. Prep your pipes

Ah, the dreaded frozen pipes. To avoid this common cold weather issue, shut off your home’s exterior water lines before fall ends. If you have any outdoor hoses, drain and wrap them up and store them in your garage or another dry, indoor space. This is also a good time to drain your home’s hot water heater and clean out any sediment buildup. This task will increase the life of your hot water heater and make its water cleaner and safer to use.

7. Check your HVAC system

It’s easy to go long periods of time without examining your home’s HVAC system, but don’t skip this step in your fall home maintenance checklist. Winter is the busy season for HVAC professionals, so it’s a good idea to contact them now for preventative measures. This is also a great time to clean or change your air filter to improve your home’s air quality as well as your HVAC’s efficiency. If you have a working fireplace, have your chimney cleaned or your gas line inspected so you can relax and enjoy its warmth in the months to come.

8. Complete outstanding repairs

The last step on your fall home maintenance checklist is a bit of a catch-all. If you have any home repairs or projects underway, make sure these are complete before fall is over. Inspect your roof, windows, and doorways for gaps that could allow cold drafts to permeate. These can be repaired with simple caulk or could require more involvement, like window replacement. All these minor upgrades will help prevent hot air from escaping from your home and lower your winter utility bills.

Any other fall home maintenance tips?

We’ve provided some general home maintenance tips in this checklist, but your specific needs will vary based on your location and the unique features of your home. Older builds in colder areas, for example, tend to be more at risk for frozen pipes. If you live in a remote area where snow plows don’t service your neighborhood, stocking up on winter supplies may be your priority. Regardless of where you are, the most important things you can do as a homeowner are to have a plan, be prepared, and don’t forget to enjoy all the cozy activities the season brings. Pumpkin spice, anyone?

Spending a little extra time on home maintenance in the fall could help you save money on utilities and repairs in the winter.

The post Your 8-Step Fall Home Maintenance Checklist appeared first on Cardinal Financial.

When you live in an apartment or a condominium, odds are you never really had to consider landscaping beyond occasionally pruning a small tree or repotting some pretty flowers. When you move into something larger—whether it’s a simple upgrade to a townhome with a small patio, a detached single-family home with a full yard, or a manufactured home sitting on a large plot of land—you’re in for a change. 

Change, however, is good. Homeownership comes with all sorts of new projects—landscaping chief among them—but those things ultimately serve the benefit of helping you become closer to your new home. While few of us loved having to mow the lawn as a kid, you may in fact find that landscaping can be a labor of love. 

To help you prepare, we assembled eight home landscaping tips for you to check out, and a host of questions to consider before tackling your first landscaping project.

Tip #1: What’s your use case?

Congratulations, you’re a homeowner. Which, unless you’re living in a community that’s run by a strict HOA, means you get to decide how to use your space. You’ll also benefit from the ability to decide how it should look (within local ordinance requirements, of course). Now that you’ve got some amount of outdoor space to play with, you’re going to want to think about how you plan on using it. Consider the following:

• Will there be kids and animals running around, or is this a peaceful, private garden getaway from the day-to-day grind? 
• Do you want to rip up all the grass so you can work on vehicle repairs, or do you want something where nature can thrive? 
• How much labor are you willing to put into your landscaping over the next several years? 

How you want to use your lawn now and how you’ll want to use it in the future are two key considerations to make before starting anything expensive or time-consuming. After all, the last thing you want to do is rip up an entire yard’s worth of grass now, only to realize you don’t like walking on hot gravel two or three summers from now. Likewise, if you’re planning on installing an in-ground pool this year, there’s probably no point in overseeding or paying for sod right now. 

How you want to use your lawn now and how you’ll want to use it in the future are two key considerations to make before starting anything expensive or time-consuming.

Beyond that, you’ll also want to consider curb appeal. If you just recently purchased, you’re probably not looking to sell anytime soon. Still, attractive landscaping can boost your property’s value—either perceived or actual, and a house with good landscaping is more likely to sell than a house with bad landscaping. 

Tip #2: Grading, irrigation, and drainage.

Grading, irrigation, and drainage are things few new homeowners consider, either through the purchasing process or after the purchase is complete, at which point it’s too late to raise a red flag or negotiate a concession. 

Like all things, water is controlled by gravity or the grade of your land. It follows slopes and dips and collects in low points. Without appropriate grading or drainage, that runoff can have disastrous effects on your new home and the landscaping surrounding it. So, how do you fix poor drainage? Re-grading is one (expensive) option, but you’ve got other possibilities:

As for irrigation? That’s simple enough, depending on the size of your yard. Larger lawns (both front and back) may call for a zoned sprinkler system, which can use well water or city water and can be operated automatically. They’ll keep your grass and the surrounding plants nice and hydrated without the risk of overwatering. Downside? They tend to come with a hefty price tag and involve digging small (but noticeable) trenches throughout your yard. 

Alternatively, if you’ve got a hose and one or two spigots (or hose bibbs, depending on what you call them), you can connect them to all sorts of accessories like oscillating and/or drip sprinklers. The downside to these accessories is that they’re not as comprehensive as built-in irrigation systems, so you’ll have to move them to ensure full coverage depending on the size of your yard.

Tip #3: Know your soil.

Next up in our landscaping 101 lesson: Soil testing!

Getting your soil tested isn’t just super important, it’s super easy. For starters, there are a number of private third-party testing services to choose from. If you’re not into that, here’s a list of state-by-state testing labs to work with. Generally speaking, they’ll all charge a nominal fee to test your soil, but that cost will more than pay off when you’ve got a happy, healthy lawn. 

Why is knowing your soil makeup so important? Fertility and growth. Maybe you’re planning on overseeding this fall, maybe you’re in the market for a few new shrubs, or maybe you’re thinking about planting a tree that’ll someday support a whole tree house for your future children (or yourself, no judgments here). 

Most soil tests will tell you what nutrients your yard is full of or lacking, as well as the pH balance of your yard. From there, you can purchase soil amendments that will help restore balance to the land, promoting growth for your greenery. Knowing what you’re working with can help you save on costly fertilizer treatments and even some pest control treatments. 

Most soil tests will tell you what nutrients your yard is full of or lacking, as well as the pH balance of your yard.

Tip #4: Grass matters. 

Tall fescue, bermuda, bluegrass, zoysia, and dichondra are just some of the most common turf options both here in the United States and around the world. 

If you’re not sure what type of grass is growing in your lawn, a landscaping professional can usually tell you just by looking at it. If you’re looking to start fresh from bare topsoil (maybe with a few pallets of sod), you’re going to want to get a soil test done and you’re going to want to compare the textures, colors, durability, and seasonality of different turf types. 

To help you out, here’s a little cheat sheet:

Tip #5: To weed or not to weed, that is the question.

Some weeds, like dandelions, are pretty to look at. Others, like spiny sowthistle, are less pleasant to deal with. Depending on what kind of yard you want, you may decide to keep all, some, or none of the weeds that are encroaching on your freshly mowed grass. 

For many homeowners, getting rid of or keeping weeds is strictly an aesthetic choice. They may be unattractive to look at, but bare ground doesn’t always mean healthy ground. To these homeowners, some coverage is better than none—weed or not. On the opposite side, what’s the point in taking painstaking care of your turf if and perfecting those criss-cross mow lines if you’re just going to let weeds take over? 

For homeowners that are less anti-weed (we hear you, Colorado), the choice is often environmental. That’s because not all weeds are bad and many attract pollinating insects. Remember, bees are our friends! Letting flowering weeds live to see the light of day isn’t just good for the bees, it’s beneficial for the environment at large. 

All that said, the aforementioned soil test can help you regulate what kind of weeds show up in your yard and how often, since weeds are often an indicator of soil quality. 

Tip #6: In the zone. 

We’re nearing the end of our list of home landscaping tips. Next up? Zone coverage. 

Have you ever wondered why some plants thrive better in some environments than in others? Beyond the difference between annuals and perennials, knowing what zone you live in can help determine what kind of flowers, shrubs, and trees will grow best in your climate. 

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a free resource that allows you to plug in your zip code to find your specific zone, which ranges on a scale from 1a (the frigid tip-top of Alaska) to 13b (the pristine coasts of Puerto Rico). Hardiness zones are “based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree zones and further divided into five-degree half-zones.” When you’re shopping for new plants, you can often sort and filter to find plants that grow best in your designated zone. For example, we’re headquartered in zone 8a—a warmer band that stretches across much of the southern United States. 

Knowing what zone you live in can help determine what kind of flowers, shrubs, and trees will grow best in your climate. 

What zone are you located in?

Tip #7: Native vs. Non

Okay, you’ve gotten your soil tested, your sprinklers are installed, you’ve had your sod laid, and you know your hardiness zone. What’s next? The best part of landscaping, we think: picking out the plants that’ll beautify your new space. 

But before you go selecting all sorts of plants and flowers, do some research into what you’re thinking about planting. 

Native plants are well-adapted to their surroundings, and familiar to the native wildlife that surrounds us. They often require less care because they’re so well-established to the area.

Non-native plants are things that have been introduced to the area by human hand, and will likely require greater and more frequent care and maintenance to ensure healthy living. Non-native plants aren’t always invasive, but invasive species are always non-native. Executive Order 13112, signed by President Clinton in 1999, designates invasive species as “non-native species whose introduction does, or is likely to cause, economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health.” 

So before you go transplanting any random pretty wildflower to your yard, take your time and find out if it’s native to your region. If not, skip it for something that is!

Tip #8: Best the pests.

Our final home landscaping tip deals with the pests that populate your yard. They may not be fun to look at (or have flying around your head), but ants, bees, and spiders are beneficial to your new yard. 

In a home, ants can certainly be annoying. Out in the yard? Ants actually help aerate yards, allowing water, oxygen, and other nutrients to reach deep roots. Bees pollinate our plants, and spiders spin webs to collect all sorts of nasty critters. While bee stings can be dangerous to those who are allergic to them, they usually don’t sting people unless they’re confused or threatened. Likewise, spiders are often thought of as dangerous—but of the 50,000+ spider species around the world, just 1% are capable of harming humans. 

The same cannot be said for other insects. Mosquitos, for example, are a nuisance that can carry various diseases, as do ticks and fleas. And roaches? We shudder at the thought of seeing one of those things scurry across the floor. 

What’s our point here? Not all pests are bad, but if you’re going to tackle pest control as part of your landscaping dream, make sure you target the right pests with eco-friendly (and potentially pet-safe) treatment options. 

Love the land you live on.

Now that you’ve been prepped, taught, and trained on home landscaping, we want to know what your first landscaping project will be! It could be something as simple as the season’s first mow, or as complex as a new irrigation installation. Either way, there’s always more to learn and even more to do when you’re a homeowner. Check out our related blogs to help you make the most of your home this summer!

The post 8 Home Landscaping Tips for New Homeowners appeared first on Cardinal Financial.