Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Just like shaping up for summer time, now is the time of the season to increase your house’s curb appeal.

Small improvements to your lawn, flower beds and along your walkway can be inviting to potential buyers. Quick and easy ideas can make the difference when trying to make the right impression.

Curb appeal makes buyers driving or walking by eager to stop and investigate the interior.

The lawn should be a carpet welcoming people to your house and should look its best with fresh mowing and neatly edged. To make sure that it’s green and full, be sure to water and apply fertilizer.

Flower beds with a new layer of bark mulch will invigorate the look of a yard. A side benefit will be keeping weeds from growing.

Whatever plants already there should be trimmed, pruned and ready for their close-up. Anything dead or dying needs to be removed.

Planting summer annuals will make the front walkway into a colorful path for your home’s potential buyers. An explosion of color in a planter near the front step will announce their arrival.

Using native plants give them a better chance of surviving the summer heat than a non-native plant. A professional can let you know which ones will endure the sun’s unrelenting rays the best.
Make sure that the side yards and backyards are ship-shape as well. Buyers have been known to investigate without an invitation.

A summer spruce-up for curb appeal can make your house is worth moving into and not have buyers moving on. Let the professionals at Embark Tree and Landscape frame your house with a healthy lawn and garden by calling them at 713-462-3261 or going to the Web site to make an appointment.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

First impressions mean everything, whether you meet someone or look at a house.

Curb appeal reflects the balance of your personal style with that of the neighborhood and landscaping is the best place to start.

Guests and possible home buyers usually scrutinize the front yard as a reflection of the home and the people who live there. No formula will guarantee success but informed choices and an understanding of landscaping principles will create a solid, executable plan.

Starting with a site evaluation will give you have an understanding of what’s already around your house. The architectural style or character of your house should be considered.

Curb appeal, which is how the house looks from the street, is what people want from a landscape design the most. The appearance of the front yard makes both the value of the property and the owner’s ego soar.

If done right, the front yard will be attractive during the entire year for each season. The yard will benefit from unity, balance and interest throughout the year.

Unity ensures that all of the design elements work together in harmony. The plants must complement each other, look good in groups and must be placed strategically.

Balance is achieved when trees, shrubs and decorative elements are dispersed evenly throughout the landscape. The curb appeal suffers because the perception is that things are out of order.

Interest creates a focal point, often the entry to the home for the front yard. The importance of the door can be reinforced with carefully selected and placed plants along the path to the front door.

Strong curb appeal can welcome visitors and potential homebuyers and create a visually healthy environment. To let the pros help, be sure to contact Embark Tree and Landscaping Services at 713-462-3261 or fill out this form to request a visit.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

If summer’s the time to put your house on the market or buy one, a pest control inspection could save you money and help close the deal.

Summer is the perfect time for relocation, whether the move is across town or across the country. With the kids out of school, the schedule is open to find another domicile and get the present address ready to sell.

For sellers, making sure the house passes a pest control inspection prevents any show-stopping developments. Even after a contract is signed, the discovery of a major pest problem could scuttle the transaction.

Hundreds or potentially even thousands of dollars can be saved with a pest control property inspection which identifies problems before the house goes on the market.

Usually, the buyer pays for the pest inspection, which is usually part of the closing costs. Any repair work is the responsibility of the seller, unless both parties agree on a different arrangement prior to escrow and document it in the purchase agreement.

The inspection creates peace of mind and provides protection from lost time and income.

The most common culprits in wood-eating infestation are termites but other similar pests include carpenter ants and carpenter bees. They will nest in holes that they burrow deep in wood.

After they find a home, these colonies will grow exponentially to hazardous levels.

Many times, it’s the same situation with ants, cockroaches, flies, mice, rats, wasps and hornets. The pest control problem is not fully apparent until it is out of control. Without being detected, these pests can establish a colony or become an infestation without being detected.

A pest control inspection should go hand-in-hand with buying or selling a home. Be sure to call the professionals at Embark Pest Control at 713-462-3261 or fill in our online form to have a specialist contact you.