Add Value to Your Home With Backyard Improvements

Since the housing market is in a slump, homeowners are finding new ways to add value to their homes while dressing up their own backyard. According to Barbara Corcoran, TODAYShow.com contributor, “People are investing more in the back of their property, and the home-improvement boom is driving that engine. A study by the University of Michigan found that consumers value a landscaped home 11.3 percent higher than the same home without good landscaping.”

Barbara says that less lawn, more trees, outdoor rooms and backyard sanctuaries are important aspects to adding value to your current real estate. “A dining area, dry laid patio, a patch of gravel, a covered patio or an above-grade deck: According to SmartMoney.com, a landscaped patio raises the value of your home by 12.4 percent. Today’s best-selling improvement is a backyard terrace that abuts the family room.“

This is a perfect time to design and accessorize. Who doesn’t want to be proactive in adding value to their homes, during a time when values are slipping away?

However, it is not enough to simply lay the foundation of a backyard patio, you must also consider placing quality furniture and accessories to create the outdoor living room. Mirror the inside of your home on the outside. Strategically hang drapes around the patio, add the touch of color by placing throw pillows on the furniture and accessorize the tables with appropriate outdoor candles, trays and focal pieces.

There is nothing that you cannot replicate outdoors that you have inside. The beautiful fabrics that are being used to create outdoor drapes are all weather resistant with a soft hand that softens the exterior setting.

Place the finishing touch on your backyard and you will gain much more than added value, you will have a new comfortable environment that they can live in during the year.