Take some tips from ‘Desperate Landscapes’

I’ve written on a number of occasions how important it is to keep your yard and landscaping flawless if you are selling your home. Nothing is an interest killer like a bad, weed-infested yard.

I’ve been watching a TV program lately that I can now endorse as a good guide to improving your landscape. Desperate Landscapes on DIY Network, hosted by Jason Cameron, is a show about taking bad yards and fixing them up. Jason Cameron is a carpenter by profession, so I wondered how good he would be at hosting this show, but he’s done a good job from what I’ve seen so far.

So if you are a home seller, I encourage you to not just watch the show, but take careful notes on what they do. The fixer-upper yard and your own yard might be very different, but if you pay attention to how they use space and what they plant, you will be able to apply the same principles to any landscape regardless of shape or size.

I like how Jason isn’t afraid to take out old trees that don’t do anything for the landscape, and he isn’t afraid to bring in new things that may make the homeowners a little nervous at first. That’s why he is good – he changes it up so much that you don’t even recognize the place when they’re done with it.

If you are more into having a professional do it, then I can promise it will be a good investment if you hire someone good. Many people would much rather do it themselves, which is fine too. Just make sure you have looked at plenty of good examples and plan exactly what you will do before you do it.

If all other factors are right, such as price, marketing, etc, then a transformed landscape will take your home to the next level.

Tags: Desperate Landscapes, DIY Network, landscaping, Salt Lake City landscaping, real estate

Salt Lake City is one of 10 recession proof cities

A word to Salt Lake City residents – our city is not doing as bad as the media would like you to believe. We have recently been named one of the country’s top 10 recession proof cities, according to a study done by Forbes.

It is true that our unemployment rates have gone up to 3.1%, but we are still below the national average of 5.1%. And our housing prices rose 2.5% while most of the nation was dropping. The other promising number, according to Forbes, is a 5.5% expected growth percentage in education and health services.

I’ve always thought that it is important to publicize this kind of news in addition to all the bad news swimming around out there. It’s too easy to get caught up in the gloom of the national media, so I make sure to point out good news when I see it.

Salt Lake City residents are in a relatively good position right now. Jobs are still being created, people are buying homes (although there needs to be more of that happening), and health services and education is growing. I know people here are feeling the rise in prices, but it could be a lot worse for our city. I don’t think it will be too many months before we start to come out of this, especially in the Salt Lake housing market.

Tags: Salt Lake City economy, Salt Lake City real estate, Forbes, business, real estate

Was Governor Huntsman’s speech at the Economic Summit a bunch of ‘bull’? I don’t think so*

At the Governor’s Utah Economic Summit yesterday, Governor John Huntsman Jr. focused on Utah’s current favorable economic position, outlining a few ways in which we can become better. Yes, he acknowledged that we face uncertain times, but his emphasis was on progress, research, and education.

But in typical newspaper fashion, one local paper decided to turn the story into an opportunity for disgruntled workers to voice their complaints. I know very well that there are construction workers losing their jobs. I just wrote about it a few days ago. So naturally if you decide to base Utah’s economic state on the opinions of a few struggling individuals in a struggling industry, you are going to get a negative report.

The Economic Summit convened to help business leaders improve their businesses, to the end that more people can be employed and the economy can prosper. If it so happens that most of the people in the room were wearing suits and ties, then so be it. Employers and business owners tend to do that.

I thought it was funny that the news report chose to mention that many people outside of the Summit had never in their lives worn a tie to work. One “outsider” even claimed that all the Summit “insiders” had money and didn’t have to worry about gas prices like us normal people do. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t. Like it or not, employers (those who provide jobs for the rest of us) will make more money than us. They will attend Economic Summits to learn how to improve their businesses. They don’t do it to rub in your face that they have more money than you. I’d bet that most of them do it so they can expand their businesses – an act that benefits those who work for them.

Lets take the constructive from Huntsman’s speech. He said that technical training needs to improve. Education needs to improve for our youth. We need better prepared kids to qualify for better jobs. Math and science are key, but are being neglected. We also need to continue to reform our health-system.

I really do feel for the guy at the TRAX station struggling to find work and pay for gas. The housing and construction market is tough right now. I’m in it – I know. But I can’t say that the Huntsman speech was a bunch of bull just because our sector is down. I agree that we can’t focus on the negativity and have it become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

*My service doesn’t stop here! In addition to maintaining The Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Blog, I also help people buy and sell homes in Utah. When you need help with either of these, contact me!

Tags: economy,Utah economy,John Huntsman,Utah housing market,Salt Lake City real estate