Boy was it hot this past week! However, it’s an excellent time to check your lawn, trees and shrubs as to their condition.
If they are not looking at their best, you or your gardener should have a plan to renovate your lawn and feed the shrubs – when it’s a bit cooler, of course.
The first step is to see if you have damage on your lawn and what was it caused by. It could be from insects like grubs, chinch bugs, sod webworm, fungus issues from fusarium blight, leaf or dollar spot, or physical damage or abuse from usage or cutting the lawn too short. One must apply the necessary materials to hopefully fix the issues.
Fortunately, Long Island is seven inches ahead in the rainfall category, so lack of rainfall would not be the reason for its poor condition. Did you do any fertilizing this spring and summer? If not, you should have applied a balance fertilizer 32-7-5 in the early spring. If you did not fertilize in the late fall of 2017, go for 28-8-8.
The numbers represent percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash.
This adds the lush green color to your lawn, while assisting in root and rhizome development as well as resisting diseases throughout the growing season.
Also, if you are really into it and want to tackle the job yourself or have your gardener deal with it, it would be advisable to check the PH levels of your lawn at this time of the year to make sure it is in the 6.5-7 range. This is an ideal range to enable the new seedlings to sprout in an excellent growing environment and thicken up properly.
The usual amount to apply is 50 pounds of pelletized lime, in a rotary spreader, per thousand square feet to sweeten up your lawn. If you have any weed infestation, general weed control should be done either early in the morning or early eves, whichever time is cooler as to not damage your existing lawn. Apply your seed after spraying the weeds.
The ideal method would be to first core aerate with a machine, rentable at an A-Z rental facility (or ask your gardener to do it) or roughing up your soil with a hand aerator, so that the seeds are under the soil and not on top for the birds to eat. Maintaining a beautiful thick lawn only adds to the appearance and value to your home.
I have read and researched numerous articles about the return on investment when improving and upgrading the outside of a home. Some say 5 percent return up to 1000 times your investment. There are so many variables that come into play to determine your R.O.I. (return on investment). Nothing is inscribed in stone in this category.
In addition, planting flowering or colorful shrubbery will always provide that extra enhancement and curb appeal to the outside of you home. Just make sure your shrubbery is always maintained below your window sills.
Look at the outside of your home as a buyer would and decide what items need sprucing up. It could be as small of a job as painting your front door or fixing your gutters and leaders. It is also important to take out all the weeds in your flowerbeds, then cultivate and edge them, for a cleaner landscaped look.
If there is any algae accumulating on your siding, especially on the north “shady” side of your home, you might want to consider power washing as well as any walkways, which will give it a cleaner and fresher appearance.
Lastly, fix any broken slates or bricks on your walkways or paths. You want to make the best impression on your buyers when that day arrives. Calculating your budget to spend on your property is important in the future selling process. At the current moment, some single family homes, townhomes, HOAs, condos, and co-ops are selling at and above asking price because they are in impeccable move in condition or are priced low enough that the market is responding quite aggressively. Some of those purchasing are doing so just to get out of their “losing wealth” rentals into the ownership arena.
So, in short, outside improvements are an important facet in attaining greater value for your home. Take a step back and begin thinking and observing like a buyer and not a seller to determine what you need to do. You will not get a second chance at a first impression.
If you need assistance and help in determining what you should do, feel free to reach out to me.
Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate 3 Grace Ave Suite 180, Great Neck. He has earned designations as a G.R.I. (Graduate Realtor Institute) and C.I.P.S. (Certified International Property Specialist). Receive regular “FREE” updates of sold homes in your area and what your home would sell for in today’s market. He can be reached by email, at Phil@TurnkeyRealEstate.com, or by cell (516) 647-4289
