It's critically important that your real estate investment property have curb appeal. Without it, chances are slim that the house will sell. With it, you can significantly boost your asking price and ultimate profit margin. The question is, how can you increase curb appeal on a tight budget?

Landscaping may be the answer. Just a little bit of landscaping can make a tremendous difference in the appearance of a home. You want to make the landscaping as inviting as possible, so that potential buyers will be drawn to the front door.

To begin with, you'll want to get trees or large overgrown shrubs cleared out from the front of the house to let it breathe. If, for instance, there are big trees in front that obstruct your view, you should take those down. Many times, large evergreens will cover up the front of the house, making it virtually impossible to see from the curb. Therefore, you can significantly increase the value of a home just by removing some trees and shrubs.

Generally, you won't be doing a great deal of work in the back unless there are trees that would cause damage to the house. This is because any work that you do back there would be added expense that is not going to help you to sell the house.

You should put in some mulch and flowers in front of the house in order to beautify the exterior. You can also put in little shrubs that are about knee-high and perhaps some azalea bushes. Such flowers and bushes can really freshen up a property, making the house look new and appealing.

You want potential buyers to be able to drive up to the front of the property and say, 'Wow! I'd like to live there!' Anything you can do to improve the 'wow' factor is certainly money well spent.

Landscaping is often an after-thought but, really and truly, it should be one of your first thoughts. Without appropriate landscaping, you'll have a difficult time getting top-dollar for your house. But with an appropriate measure of flowers and shrubs, you'll make the property eye-catching and vibrant-looking. The more inviting a property looks to a potential buyer, the more likely it is that you will be able to sell the home in short order. Fortunately, it only takes a little effort and a small amount of money to turn a run-of-the-mill house into a showplace.