The 5 following recommendations for improving curb appeal prior to presenting a home for sale can help reduce the selling time and maybe put a few extra dollars in your pocket.

1. Remove mature shrubbery that hides the home from a prospective buyer. Mature plantings often found around a home, effectively obscure the features and design of the house from the street. Mature holly bushes and hedges often show more branch and trunk, than leaves. If a buyer can't see the home from the curb, in some cases, they will simply not get out of the car and will move on to the next property.

2. Remove dying or dead trees. If you can see that tree needs to go, so can a buyer. Buyers have a consistent tendency to avoid additional costs associated with purchasing a home. A failing, or dead, tree arouses fear of storm damage caused by the tree breaking from wind. Buyers tend to lack vision and problem solving skills when looking at a home. The idea of having a tree removed may present a perceived insurmountable obstacle to purchase, for a buyer.

3. Mow and trim. Of course every one knows this, but often attention to care and detail with mowing and trimming often fall prey to the "I'm moving so I don't have to care as much" syndrome. A ragged looking lawn always presents a possibility to the buyer that the homeowner might not have provided conscientious care for the home, both inside and out. Nothing chases buyers away faster than deferred maintenance.

4. After you remove the old plantings, lavishly replant new shrubbery, the greener the better. Use mulch around the plantings to help set the stage and pull the buyer's eye. If you are stingy, the same lack of care message is projected to the buying public.

5. Strategically plant flowers, and don't over do it! Too many flowers and flower beds, tend to overwhelm a prospective buyer. They will agree that the flowers are beautiful, but they're thinking, "I will never be able to keep up with all of this. If you have a green thumb, when you are selling your home, is not the time to prove it with flowers. With new shrubs, a well-trimmed lawn, and pruned trees, yes, but with too many flowers no.

Affordable curb appeal does require a few dollars to provide meaning to the words. If your goal is to sell your home for the highest amount possible in the shortest period of time, stingy yard care, can be very expensive.

To learn more about Affordable Curb Appeal for your home visit us today at http://www.Affordable-Curb-Appeal.com