Article From HouseLogic.com
By: Douglas Trattner
Published: February 04, 2010
Regular lawn maintenance gives your home maximum curb appeal and preserves the value of your property.
A healthy, well-maintained lawn is more than just good-looking-it’s a key to preserving the value of your home. Regular lawn maintenance enhances curb appeal, making your home-and neighborhood-attractive to passersby and potential buyers.
According to Su Chi Straka-Phillis, a residential real estate appraiser with Central Appraisal Services of Parma, Ohio, a well-kept lawn preserves a home’s value.
Put off routine maintenance, and you risk devaluing your home. In fact, an unkempt lawn can be a warning sign to buyers of other potential home maintenance issues, explains Cecilia Sherrard, a real estate agent in Rocky River, Ohio. “The outside of the home is the first thing people see, and if it’s not properly maintained, many will not be interested in scheduling a showing to see the inside.”
Know your grass type
There are two main types of lawn grass: cool-season and warm-season. Homeowners living in the Northeast, Midwest, and Northwest should grow cool-season grasses. As depicted on the Plant Heat-Zone Map (http://www.ahs.org/publications/heat_zone_map.htm) provided by the American Horticultural Society, the regions for cool-season grasses are approximately zones 1 through 7.
Cool-season grasses do most of their growing in spring and fall, often going dormant in the summer. Cool-season grasses include bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and St. Augustine grass.
