Winter Curb Appeal

In Utah, trying to sell your home in winter can sometime be more challenging. One difficulty is showing off your home's exterior during these cold, snowy months. Here are some tips from Realtor magazine for improving your home's curb appeal during the winter:

• Use evergreens and tall grasses, such as fountain grasses, to add splashes of green to your landscape.
• Make the front door a focal point with a large wreath adorned with a colorful ribbon. You can also place large planters full of evergreens beside the front door.
• Transform an unused bird bath or fountain into a seasonal display by adding twigs with red barries, sparkly baubles and/or winter greenery. For extra sparkle, roll twigs in glitter!
• Use clear floor spotlights to focus on the home's architecture. Keep exterior lights clean and clear of snow.
• Shovel your backyard deck or patio and leave your grill uncovered so that the buyers can envision themselves in that space. 
• Set up outdoor tables and chairs as you would during the summer months. (Just during showings.)
• Keep your front walkways and driveway clear of snow!

In addition, display pictures of your home and landscaping as they are during the summer months. This will help show prospective buyers the value of your landscaping and get you on your way to owning your new home by McArthur Homes.

Photo Source: etsy.com via Heather on Pinterest

Contest Winners!

Congratulations to all of our finalists in the "Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Neighborhoods" landscaping competition. We loved all of the homes and had a very hard time choosing a winner. In fact, we decided to announce two winners for this year's competition.

We chose Home #2 as the landscaping winner because of it's beautiful flower gardens. The homeowners have only been in their home a few months and their hard work this summer transformed this home into a stand-out in it's neighborhood. We are proud to have this home as one of the first completed homes in Herriman Towne Center.





Home #4 garnered the most votes, so we decided to announce a second award for "Most Enthusiastic Fans." This beautiful home is located in our Stonebridge community and is definitely one of our favorites for it's architecture and clean look.

Congratulations again to all of our finalists and to our winners. We love having homeowners like you who show pride in your home and make your neighborhoods beautiful! Thank you from everyone at McArthur Homes!

Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Neighborhood Finalists

McArthur Homes is proud to announce the finalists of our "Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Neighborhoods" contest. The finalists include homes from five different McArthur Homes neighborhoods, with 6 different floorplans in a variety of architectural styles. These homeowners have put a lot of work into their yards and homes, and it shows! Which one is your favorite?

Home #1

Home #2

Home #3

Home #4

Home #5

Home #6

Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Neighborhood! McArthur Homes Landscaping Competition

We've noticed some BEAUTIFUL landscaping in our McArthur Homes neighborhoods and we'd like to reward our homeowners for all your hard work! Enter our Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Neighborhood Competition today to show off your home and for a chance to win up to $550 in Home Depot Gift Cards. Check out the details below:

TO ENTER: Email us a photo or photos of the exterior of your home. Please include at least one shot showing the entire front of the home. Email photos to kristi@mcarthurhomes.com. Please include your contact information and address with your entry. All entries must be received by June 30, 2011.

FINALISTS: McArthur Homes will choose six or more finalists. Each finalist will receive a $50 Gift Card to Home Depot. McArthur Homes will professionally photograph each finalist's home exterior. These photos will be posted on Facebook for you to share with your friends and family. Facebook comments will be taken into consideration when choosing our Grand Prize Winner, but will not be the sole deciding factor.

WINNERS: One Grand Prize Winner will be chosen by McArthur Homes based on overall look of the landscaping and home, with some consideration given to comments received on Facebook and/or our blog. Grand Prize Winner will be announced July 15, 2011.

PRIZES: Grand Prize Winner will receive a $500 Gift Card to Home Depot.
All finalists will receive a $50 Gift Card to Home Depot.

Competition open to all current McArthur Homes homeowners.
McArthur Homes retains the rights to use all submitted video, images and written material for promotional purposes.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Lawn Tips- Is Your Lawn Water Wise

Local Utah landscaping expert, Chris Jensen shared his tips for keeping your new home's lawn looking beautiful. Thanks Chris for sharing your expertise with our homeowners!

Lawn Tips- Is Your Lawn Water Wise?

 

Don’t Kill it with Kindness

During the heat of the summer, your lawn only needs to be watered about twice a week.

Water in cycles

By dividing your watering time into three shorter cycles with time in between, water has more time to penetrate the soil and reach the root zone. This means run-off is minimized and more water gets to the roots.

Mow high-3"+

When grass is allowed to grow higher, roots have a chance to grow deeper. Deep roots help your lawn withstand changes in temperatures, even the extremes. Deep roots also need less water. Mowing high also means you get to mow less often.

Recycle your Grass

Leave grass clipping on the lawn to provide nutrients and to keep the soil cool. It also helps in reducing waste at the landfill.

 

Let the air in

Roots need air, too. Aerating your lawn helps compacted soils loosen up, and increases the

transfer of air into the soil so roots can breathe deep. 

 

Go on a less-lawn diet

If the only time you’re on the lawn is when you mow it, think of replacing part of the lawn with

low-water, low-maintenance ground covers, or even a patio or deck with a raised fire pit.

 

Monthly Watering Schedule

Start-up until April 30 Once every 7-10 days

May Once every 4-7 days

June, July, August Once every 2-4 days

September Once every 7-10 days

October to shutdown Once every 7-14 days

You may need to water less or more depending on the weather.

If it rains or is windy, remember to turn off your automatic system or add a rain clicker to turn off the system automatically.

 

 

 

All photos are of projects by Chris Jensen Landscaping