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weedyacres

Need help with curb appeal

weedyacres
11 years ago

We had 2 showings last week, one with a realtor and the other a drive-by that's renting in a neighboring subdivision. The realtor promised feedback, and delivered: said the inside was great but slammed us on curb appeal.

So, my Gardenweb friends, please advise what you'd suggest to make our outside match our inside.

{{gwi:120184}}

Comments (136)

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's much better. But, still, compared to the others in your price range, it went from an F to a D. Still below average, but not failing. You gotta have some evergreens for winter interest, and you also need a tall evergreen interest on the right hand side. That would take it to a D+. If the evergreen were large enough, it might even take it to a C-.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Why did you have to drive 100 miles to get a common cherry tree? The nurseyman should ahve told you that the leaves would have dried out and die.
    It does look better though. Have you considered lowering the price or exposing it to more qualified buyers?

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I'm amazed that so many of you prefer the overgrown look of weedy acres. It was scraggly and ugly, not cool and wooded, and blocked the view to the lake. None of the other lots on the lake have "native" vegetation; so it actually matches the neighborhood better now. That said, I guess you can never please everyone. :-/

    The camera angle in the "after" side view does appear to have an evergreen bush in the corner of the house, but in actuality that's a large bush way over on the spare lot.

    I didn't drive 100 miles for that lilac tree, my business is 100 miles away and there's a nursery next door to our factory. I just took it home with me.

    We've got a sprig of pampas grass on the back 40. We'll look at transplanting it to behind the bench.

    We haven't considered a price drop at this point. I think the bigger challenge is traffic, since we're not in the MLS. We've had 5 1/2 showings and only 1 1/2 were realtor-driven. We might have to bite the bullet and play the over-priced commission game to get over that hurdle.

  • ncrealestateguy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It may not seem so overpriced if the services offered can produce results that you can not.
    I think why the removal of the shrubs is coming across as a negative is because it really emphasizes the "dropped in the field" look. But if it was the only way to open up the waterview, you really didn't have a choice.
    Just wondering... how do you have 1/2 a showing?
    And, did you get feedback from the "buyers"?

  • Circus Peanut
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weedy, I think this is an example of where the seller's taste might differ from that of the majority of buyers.

    I can tell from your previous commentary (not wanting anything to grow taller than the front windows, etc) that you are not a fan of larger, more mature vegetation. That's totally fine, but I think you need to bite the bullet and consider that this kind of greenery is what attracts many people and grounds a house in its surroundings -- especially a large house billed as an 'estate', which implies years of landscaping and heritage trees.

    Your choices so far have been really cautious, small, and sparse, and the rather radical brush-clearing has made them appear even more so. (Was it not possible to clear a nice walkway/wooden step path down to the water and the dock? That might be optimally attractive on such an acreage.)

    Provided that it's the landscaping holding buyers off (and that's an assumption that may/may not be true at all), I'd invest in a few really big inexpensive yews or evergreens or such. You need height, especially on that blind side of the house facing the water; it's just not very attractive without more windows or something to cover the expanse of brick.

    Good luck! I'm confident the right buyers are out there for you, but you may indeed have to hook up with a realtor & the MLS to draw them in.

  • cas66ragtop
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am amazed you haven't taken other people's advice and spent tens of thousands of dollars to turn the front load garage into a side load, paint the brick, or replace the colonial facade! Big mistake! LOL - I am joking.

    Your landscape area looks a lot nicer now, not that it looked terrible before. This is definitely a nice improvement, but I don't think this alone will make all the buyers magically appear. I think your real problem here is price and FSBO. I know you hate hearing that, I hated hearing it when I tried FSBO, but I eventually came to my senses, hired a realtor and dropped the price - and bam - the house is gone. Doesn't matter many "negative" things people may say about a house - PRICE is what always sells.

    I also liked the "before" photo with the scrub brush area better. It provided places for the critters to live, provided a wind-break, and provided privacy. I may have thinned it out a little and planted a few nice trees, but I would not have clear-cut it. I doubt the absence or presence of this area would affect your sale.

  • kswl2
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think you have made a tremendous improvement in the curb appeal of your property, and applaud you for doing so! The amount of money may have been small, but the amount of work it took was substantial. Well done!

    The brush cutting you did improved the property value, IMO. People who have never had to contend with wild, creeping brush have no idea how difficult it is to contain. "Cutting a path" through that kind of vegetation isn't possible, as there aren't discrete trees and bushes to walk past, it is all one big tangle and is NOT attractive close up. Using native vegetation and landscaping techniques in an overall plan is not the same as allowing an area to "go native," but many people don't realize that if they've never lived on acreage. In addition, if your home was the only one without views or access to the lake you have unquestionably improved it by clearing that area. It's all about what is desirable by local standards.

    Not being in the MLS is a huge problem! Is there any company that will list you for a flat fee? We did that once in Florida and offered a larger commission for the buyers' agent.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    NC: It will seem overpriced regardless. :-) I have expressed my displeasure in the RE cartel system before, so I won't clutter this thread with it, but I may not have a choice but to participate in it.

    The "half" showing was a realtor that emailed to set up an appointment and then drove the buyer by the house and they decided they didn't want that much land, so they didn't view the inside.

    Feedback:
    1. Would need to add a 2-bedroom accessible suite downstairs for in-laws, so decided to build instead. Were also potentially concerned about the steepness of the slope towards the water.
    2. A bottom-feeder who was trying to nitpick every finishing detail on the inside to get the lowest price possible for a big, nice house.
    3. The feedback on curb appeal in this thread
    4. Loved the place, but decided it was bigger than they wanted at this point (couple with no kids).
    5. Family looking to upsize, commented very favorably on much of the interior, kids had their bedrooms picked out, etc. Not sure they're qualified/ready to purchase.
    1/2. Lot bigger than they wanted.

    KSWL: You nailed it on the brush stuff. This is an in-town lake/subdivision, and people live on the lake for the views and fishing, not remoteness and privacy.

    Our original marketing plan was to list it flat-fee MLS, but when I got ready to do so, found that no one does it in this area (local MLS rules prohibit it), so we listed it with an out-of-town MLS that got us on realtor.com for $99. I've emailed all the realtors in town a couple times making them aware of the property, but it's definitely a barrier to not be in the MLS.

  • cas66ragtop
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your clear-cutting and the area where you live reminds me of my favorite Eagles' song, "The Last Resort".

    I never understood people's need to destroy natural habitat just so they can have a pretty view. Seems like you had enough of a pretty view the way it was, but I guess that still wasn't good enough. You keep saying you have a view of the lake. That's not a lake, it's more of a tributary or channel, and the "lake" itself appears to be man-made and has a boring rectangular "unnatural" look about it. My guess is, if you are advertising "lake view" - when people come to see your property, they feel ripped off, kind of like false advertisement.

    It's very funny how the majority of the people who looked at your house wanted to complain about things that could have easily been decided upon simply by reading the property description. Yard too big? House too big? No in-law suite? These people either just aren't too bright, or they were just giving easy excuses instead of saying what they really didn't like. Like maybe price?

  • chispa
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There is no defect price can't cure ... but if not enough people are seeing your listing then it doesn't matter the price or what you do to the house.

  • sweet_tea
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let's talk about the Lake View.

    What kind of Lake View do your comps have? Is it a wider part of the lake? Wider views/bigger waterfront views are worth more $ than smaller water views.

    This is true for any lake property. There are usually 3 tiers. The primo/stunning BIG water view where you see water and lots of it. Then there is the average water view where you might see parts of other properties to the rear or side. then there is the lower tier water view which you have. A small sliver of water.

    Other things that affect prices of water front properties. Docks: If you have a dock, especially a nice dock, it is worth more than same property with NO dock. Do your comps have docks? If yes, then deduct for this on your property.

    Boat lift...boatable water. If you can place a boat on your dock via a lift, and if your water depth can sustain a motor boat, your poperty is worth more than a lot that is too shallow for a boat, or where a boat cannot fit on that sliver of waterfront. Boatable waterfront is worth more than non-boatable.

    The price difference between different tiers of waterfront property can be substantial. All lakefront is not the same,even on the same exact lake.

  • cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You have got to be listed on the MLS.
    I don't think there is any way around that.

    It would be cost prohibitive to install enough truly mature plants to make that home an "OMG Must Have!!" from the exterior- that is not going to happen.
    Leave that notion in the past. It is un-possible.

    If you want to sell you have to get people to see that it is for sale via marketing and the MLS is how it works.
    If you are thinking about selling maybe someday probably, then continue with your FSBO plan.
    But if selling is your goal get single minded about it and do everything in your power to make it happen.

    MLS and price is what it ALL boils down to.
    Quit playing around with everything else and address the real issues- it's always price.
    That and letting folks know it is for sale.

  • mjlb
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weedy: "I have expressed my displeasure in the RE cartel system before, so I won't clutter this thread with it, but I may not have a choice but to participate in it."

    I feel your pain, but not listing in MLS is, to use an old saw, cutting off your nose to spite your face. Gotta' be done. However, keep in mind that you should be able to find a listing broker who will discount the commission to some extent.

  • Happyladi
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The landscaping looks better but the bare tree looks odd. If its going to be a big tree then it's too close to the house, too.

    There are realtors that will put your house on MLS for a set fee. You need to be on MLS and also have a showing service.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In these here parts, what we live on is considered a lake. In fact, people call much smaller bodies of water "lakes" when they're more accurately ponds. So we're not misleading anyone. Our lot is on a finger that comes off the larger 50-acre lake. It's the biggest "lake" in the area.

    We have a triangular shaped lot, so more lakefront (~1200 feet) than most lots around. Those on the other side of the lake are much closer together, 1 acre or less lots.

    happyladi: believe me, there are no realtors in our MLS that will do a flat fee. I wish I were wrong, but I made scads of phone calls to everything that came up on google. They were all no-go in our area, which is a smaller city. There is one in the area that will do a 4.9% commission.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anyone notice the difference? Feedback?

  • happyintexas
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You painted the door! I like it!

  • mjlb
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Front door painted... looks good!

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Did you do your dormer too?

    (And, I'm surprised you didn't do your sidelights. Do you plan to?)

    Your black door is a big improvement.

  • terezosa / terriks
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like the door painted. It looked really bland/unfinished/builder grade with the white door.

  • kats_meow
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like the painting of the door.

    I know you don't like your MLS situation and I understand that. I also think that if you really want to sell your house then you are hurting your chances of doing so by not listing with one of your local agents so you can be on MLS. You can be stubborn about it if you want (and I understand that desire) but you are just missing too many potential buyers....

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was actually surprised at how elegant it looks close up, and like a new door. I hadn't thought about painting the sidelights. What think the rest of you? Would it make the entrance look too checkerboard?

    We didn't paint the dormer.

    kats meow: I concur. It's just not an instant decision to pick a realtor and get listed. Well, I guess it can be done that quickly, but I've made quick choices in realtors before and not felt serviced well. I'll probably start a different thread about the process of selection.

  • C Marlin
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd paint the sidelights, I think of them as a unit. Right now it looks more checkerboard.

  • word_doc
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think it looks GREAT just the way you have it and I wouldn't paint the side lights.

  • OttawaGardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not to obsess about your dead tree, lol, but if it isn't leafing out, you might be better to just remove it even if you don't replace it.

  • Adella Bedella
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm not familiar with the term "sidelights". If those are the panels with the windows next to the doors, then yes I would paint them also. It will make the front door area have more 'presence'.

  • greg_2010
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a quick photoshop to see what it would look like with the sidelights painted.

  • jimandanne_mi
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The planting beds look MUCH better, as does the door!

    We painted our door and sidelite trim also--a different color from the door or brick to soften the contrast--lighter than the door, darker than the brick. But we were able to pick up the colors of the porch rail and windows which were sort of taupy. Not sure what color might look good here.

    greg, the photoshopping is very helpful!

    Anne

  • kats_meow
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would paint the sidelights.

  • mjlb
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I prefer just the door to be black. The black sidelites mimic the look of shutters, which sounds good, but doesn't look good (to me).

  • Debbie Downer
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just reduce your price or give them a landscaping allowance and call it a day. Recently I went shopping for trees and the ones in the 8-15 foot range were more affordable than I thought, $200-500 plus some for delivery. Larger full size 20-30 foot trees can cost mega $$$$$$$ to truck in and plant.

    It is a FACT that mature trees add dollars and cents value to a house. But unfortunately, you simply dont have any - unless you were to pay more $$$ for having some installed than you probably would want to pay.

    It is what it is. I guess I would not fret about the trees any more than I would worry about any other short-coming that couldnt be changed, like location, or roof color, or garage size or what have you.

    Make your house shine in other ways. Maybe the house itself can be made more inviting and people are going to see and respond to that. The thing is -you just never can make it be all things for all people.

  • TxMarti
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think it looks really nice now Weedyacres. I like the black door and I'm torn between painting the sidelights, but I'm leaning toward black for them too.

  • sweet_tea
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Have to checked "Comps" that have sold since you went on the market? You might need to adjust price based on this.

    Also - your property is on a state road. This is a negative over the comp homes on the other side of the lake because they are on a more residential road. This would offset their smaller lot versus your larger lot. However if they are newer homes they are worth than yours based on the age difference. Plus if they have a dock add $20k more value for them.

    Show us your recent comps and how you arrive at price.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sweet tea: Here's how I came up with the price: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/realestate/msg0519405319743.html?13

    There's been one comp that has sold in the neighborhood since we listed, and the same adjustment formula I used on the originals makes our house comp a tad under $500K.

    Our street is not a state road. Those run parallel to the east and west, and get lots of traffic. Our street, while not a subdivision street, actually terminates about a mile up the road. So the traffic is almost all residents who live on our street to the north, or in the golf course community just to the north east.

    The houses across the lake are all >10 years old. The newer ones are on our street at the north end, on 1-1.5 acre lots. Last comps there are 3 years old, but looking at full price history, that clump has sold for $550-800K. So no apparent devalue for living on our side of the lake.

    Here is a link that might be useful: pricing calculation thread

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ottowa: Does this make you feel better about the tree? A real live budding leaf (amidst the dew-laden spider webs). She's gonna survive! :-)

  • njannrosen
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the house looks fine since you added the plantings. I don't like the circular driveway, but that's a matter of convenience.

    Your main problem is the house is not being exposed to enough buyers. Unless you list with a realtor and get on MLS you will be wasting your time. Call in two or three of the biggest agencies and have them give you a CMA. You will find out if you are priced right. When you list your house they should have a viewing with all the agents and they give feedback as to the price and possible drawbacks ( at least they do that in my area).

    I recently sold my house so I feel your pain, but the right price and a nice clean house will sell.

  • njannrosen
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the house looks fine since you added the plantings. I don't like the circular driveway, but that's a matter of convenience.

    Your main problem is the house is not being exposed to enough buyers. Unless you list with a realtor and get on MLS you will be wasting your time. Call in two or three of the biggest agencies and have them give you a CMA. You will find out if you are priced right. When you list your house they should have a viewing with all the agents and they give feedback as to the price and possible drawbacks ( at least they do that in my area).

    I recently sold my house so I feel your pain, but the right price and a nice clean house will sell.

  • OttawaGardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weedy... it really depends how long of a growing season that you have left, if it can survive. Trees (or plants of any kind) that are stressed have difficulty overwintering. But let's be optimistic, and hope it fully leafs out in the next couple of weeks, the better to survive & to appeal to potential buyers.

    By the way, it's OttAwa - the capital city of Canada :-)

  • Xclusive
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've been watching your thread and I like what you have done to it. I personally wouldn't spend another dime on it. The only thing I would do now:

    1. paint the sidelights
    2. list your house with a realtor to get on the MLS

    As some has stated you can continue to sink money into your house but its not going to please everyone. You have to take into account that your gardenweb community are not your average everyday home buyers and you could spend another couple of thousands and alot will still wont be happy :). At some point your house is what it is and there are somethings that you just can't change/correct without spending crazy money. I would just make sure its not cluttered and clean and you just have to play the waiting game like everyone else. While some have things they dont like about your house you have to always remember all it takes is one person to fall in love with your house to sell. When all else fails, dropping the price will always make others look over somethings they don't like.

    Good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Our home sell/build blog

  • sunnyca_gw
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When I looked at your post I thought the house was really large & nice with doll sized landscaping. It's so much better now & love the black door it seems to widen entry area which is appealing, planters add height to finish the look! Nice bench & tree, tho I would have planted it in the grass further out in yard just so edge of house could be seen to right of tree, so it softened that corner of house. 3 pumpkins close to house & a wreath hung on the lightpost to soften it & not damage the front door should make it very friendly to folks. A little "personal touch" makes it seem like warm humans live there. So often I look at pics in magazines & there is no evidence anyone lives in those lovely cold homes. No magazines, no hint of a hobby, no sports equipment. I get really turned off as I figure everything is staged & place is not livable. Don't want your front approach cluttered but nice to know someone actually"lives" there! Can put holiday wreath & lights up the post later if your still there. Glad you have been level headed about this & stuck with it! Some comments would have driven me away I think. Shows you are sticking with it! Good Luck & hope all your hard work pays off soon!

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't know if anyone's going to slog down through the postings if I resurrect this, but we had a few agents through this weekend and have received some more comments about the front needing to match the inside in its luxury feel. We're going to act on a couple suggestions: paint the shutters and seal the asphalt drive so it looks dark/fresh.

    We're trying to come up with a way to de-weed the lawn closest to the house too, so it looks lusher. Not sure the best way to do that.

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sod?

  • liriodendron
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sod may be the best choice this late in the season since simply killing the existing weeds with a post-emergence herbicide won't necessarily "green-up" the lawn if nothing else is growing fast enough to fill in the spots where the weeds formerly were. The pity is that it wasn't done two months ago when the moderating temps and more rainfall of early Fall would have made a big difference.

    If you do use herbicide, I'd definitely overseed the area with a good cool-weather germinating grass seed, then water it abundantly and pray for a late warm fall to give it some oomph this year. The seed may be wasted, but you never know. Once we established sod (starting with bare, newly-leveled earth) on a half-mile long grass runway which we sowed on Thanksgiving weekend up here in northern NY (Z5a/4b). We got very lucky. It didn't look great through the winter but took off like crazy at the first hint of Spring. Here's hoping that you can reseed earlier than we did, have a long Fall so it germinates and greens up and that you don't still own the house next Spring!

    If you do seed, be sure you get the contractors to slightly abrade (rake) the ground, then roll it thoroughly after seeding to get good contact with the soil. Make sure the herbicide and grass seed are technically compatible and wait enough time for the herbicide to get the job done, if necessary.

    When you planted the tree you mentioned that you hoped it would re-bud out after its adventure traveling in an open truck. When I read that I actually hoped it wouldn't (not to be mean) because any small leaf regrowth emerging this late in the season would likely be frost killed, possibly taking the tree with it over the winter. I hoped the tree had enough sense to remain dormant and try again next year. It's contradictory to hope you're having a warm, re-seedable Fall, and yet hope the tree feels chilly enough to stay dormant until the sap rises again in the Spring. Keep watering it until the ground is completely frozen no matter how it looks.

    Properly protected with anti-dessicant and a steady program of watering until the ground is frozen and mulched you might be able to get some useful green-ness there with evergreens but by now even leafless deciduous trees won't look out of place. However they need to be transported in a covered vehicle, or at least be carefully wrapped in tarps to avoid being wind-whipped and dried to death en route.

    The comment the agent made about the luxurious inside not matching the exterior resonates with me. You have lavished considerable attention on the interior with very good effect, but the exterior looks less distinctive, less elegant primarily because the house is just parked out there with no trees to meld its presence into the lot. I realize many new houses look like this on completion, but just like a house's interior would look out of kilter if you had beaded-inset Crown Point cabinets with post-form Formica counters, the house's outside looks dissonant to me. Because there's been no significant effort to establish large-ish trees the house looks sort of unfinished, as if you ran out of steam before the whole job was done.

    I think I would consider planting one or more really big trees (3-6" caliper). Not a cheap solution since each would cost $300-maybe as much as $1,000 apiece, but they would (even in a deciduous state) anchor the house and kind of make it match the interior. Buy them from a professional nursery and they should come with a survival/ replacement guarantee. If you're leaving the area, hire them to do any tending if you're moving before you sell the house. A big part of the price of these trees is the cost of the Vermeer (or equivalent) machine than comes along to replant it. Trees this size may have a root ball 4 or 5 feet wide.

    Feel free to disregard my comments if they aren't useful. I will still my fingers crossed that you can get this house sold and quickly move on to your next one.

    L.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    lirio: thanks for taking the time to provide such detailed advice. You are semi-correct in your assessment when you say it looks like we ran out of steam. In fact, our plan was to do the inside and then the outside, but we ran out of living-in-the-house time, not energy. I'd love to stay another couple years and make the outside beautiful, but the 100 mile commute doesn't make that practical. We've removed the ugly for the next owner, so we'll need to find someone that appreciates a blank slate.

    What you said about it being better that the tree doesn't leaf out matches what our (master gardener) neighbor said. Nothing else has emerged other than that one leaf, so hopefully we're ok. I guess it was a smart tree. :-)

    Just a question for anyone: if we did plant trees, where would you put them to provide that anchor?

  • susanjn
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Don't remember where you live. Would a winter rye work?

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We're in zone 6 in the midwest. Someone over in the lawns forum suggested annual ryegrass for a quick sprout. I know nothing about lawn varieties and what works.

  • littlebug5
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd like to hear an update, weedyacres. Have you sold?

    I'm guessing you are near me in the Midwest - your topography looks like Kansas with its deadly drought last summer.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nope, haven't sold yet. Tulips and daffodils are starting to come up (early) and we've got plans to fertilize the heck out of the lawn to get it looking better once it comes out of dormancy.

  • edlincoln
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like your staging idea. You resisted the temptation to overspend...it's easy to find things wrong with any house, but few are cost effective to fix before a sale (no matter what HGTV says). I'd keep the tree. Did it leaf out Spring 2014?
    The pumkin idea is a decent one.

    Since I enjoy "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" as much as the next guy, I think your big mistake was getting rid of the trees in front of the house when you put in the circular driveway.

    The big mistake the people who built the house made was putting the house where it was. You said you have a lake view and older trees by the lake...it would have been smarter to put the house closer to the rear of the property, near the lake and the trees. Farther from the road, more privacy, better view. House siting is one of my pet issues...it's something you can't change when you renovate that people don't think about.

  • weedyacres
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The lilac tree did leaf out in Spring 2013, though not super full. We got plenty of rain and everything greened up nicely. We sold the house in the summer, closed in the fall, and got within 2% of our target price, so all is good and we've moved on to our next rehab.

    The new owners haven't changed any of the landscaping yet, but they did replace the garage doors with carriage style ones. That was a good change.

    BTW, we didn't tear out the trees in the front of the house. They're in the grass patch between the driveway and the street.