Barb, we are often criticized on this Forum for being blunt. Sorry about that. Please understand that the thoughts following are written by an old timer who has done many interesting things in a lifetime including serving on a bank board during the last economic burp which spelled the demise of local, hometown banks. For three years, based on previous experience, I have forcast the present housing situation. My crystal ball says this is not the time to buy an ugly little house with adverse growing conditions by the side of the road, intending to 'flip' it. Be patient. Optimum buying opportunities and more attractive houses lie ahead in another year or two for those with money under the mattress.

I agree. Not only that, but from the photo, the house appears to be sited below the road, not an optimal site. I wouldn't want to live in a hole if I didn't have to, and I'm guessing a lot of other people wouldn't either. Look for a better candidate on a better lot, and unless you can afford to wait to sell until the market improves, don't buy it now.

As one who has "flipped" over twenty houses, I also have to agree. Your initial comment, "it was a very slow flip" should be telling you that due to premature timing, this one will likely be even slower.

Yes, money can be made in this business. However, timing is everything. You need to be buying at the bottom of the trough or shortly after -- not when the decline is just beginning.

I always operated under two philosophies:

1. The one that "got away" will never hurt you. It is the one that you can't get away from that will take you down!

2. Never force a deal. There will always be another (and probably better) deal around an unseen corner. Just be prepared to recognize it when it finally arrives.

Patience, my dear. Patience.

IronBelly

Let us know whether you get it; then it will be worth putting some mental energy into from this end.

KarinL

Thank you for your comments, but I am confident that this is a good opportunity as we are getting it at a great price. You make your money on the buy!

Housing prices in this area remained stable while other markets were going crazy. Home prices have slowly risen over the past two years, and there has been no decline here.

While I do well renovating kitchens & bathroom, my imagination when it comes to landscaping stops.

I could really use some ideas.

PS - The reason the other one was a "slow flip" was because the inside and outside were totally trashed and disgusting (who glues down carpet in the kitchen & bath????). This house is a "sugar coat", and needs some interior painting and new carpet (and curb appeal).

Thanks
Barb

I agree with nandina. There's good reason the house is at a great price. Carefully look at how long it's been on the market and how long it was on the market before that..........and especially if it was often pulled off the market and placed back on.
Personally, I wouldn't get out of the car to look at this house......too many negatives from the outside, no matter how great the landscape. Sorry, just MHO.

I'd enlist the opinion of a non-biased realtor........other than the one you're using.

Otherwise, if you get it, keep us posted.

For ideas on quick and inexpensive curb appeal and fix-up ideas, I'd suggest posting on either The Home Decorating or Buying and Selling Houses forums under That Home Site here on the GardenWeb. These are fast paced forums and the posters are quite in tune with the latest HGTV trends and fashions, are involved with trying to sell houses and buying new ones - the whole nine yards.

This is quite funny that all the landscape enthusiasts here are suddenly real estate advisors.

I have to say that if this is a source of income for you, it shouldn't be too much work to read a couple of books on landscaping, as it will likely always be something that can add a few bucks to a sale price.

But one of the things we do here is solve landscaping problems that people have... speaking for myself only, curb appeal for quick sale doesn't turn my crank. I enjoy the process of matching landscape design to people, not so much the process of matching landscape design just to a house.

Good luck - I'm sure you know your local market well enough to make the call.

KarinL

My inclination would be to emphasize the entry with a tall extended pergola over the entry, and redo the landing and extend it to the driveway with the same new material, as well as making the front yard more woodsy against the house with shrubs, small trees and ground cover, rather than the boring sweep of lawn.

I am surprised that there is such visceral dislike for this down slope lot configuration, as I was expecting to see some sort of dump when I read the comments before looking at the photo.

As to what to plant, your climate zone is outside my realm of experience. I can tell you that larger 15 gallon sized shrubs and using specimen sized trees may be the way to go for instant impact and less likelihood of being trashed by deer. If the view from the second story back to the street is not particularly attractive, it might also be nice to frame some of the front yard with smaller trees and shrubs nearer to the street.

I'm speaking for myself only. I'm particular in what appeals to me in housing styles; split entry, raised ranch or whatever this style is would never catch my eye or be considered for purchase even with exquisite landscaping. Nothing said should deter the OP because sometimes real life takes over, and heck, this property might be a good land deal for someone thinking of bringing in a bulldozer and eventually building a dream retreat in a lake community.

This era of staging or quick and cheap to "improve" must have something because an awful lof of people buy into it - some even sell their homes and buy new ones that have also surely been staged. What flips lack are emotional attachments, so all you're doing is making an investment vs returns calculation anyway. I'd pick up the milk jug and remove the tires or floaty tube (or does that define the back edge of the gravel so you don't end up parking in the trees), hire a neighboorhood kid with a ladder and a couple of gallons of exterior paint to turn pink into passable.

Yes, there are good reasons it's at a good price:
1. Foreclosure
2. Terrible time of year to put a house on the market.
3. Bank would only accept cash offers - eliminates average buyers.

These are not typical "flips". These homes double as vacation homes for us, and our goal is to work our way up the ladder until we are waterfront. It's a much better return than our 401K's.

My question was not whether to buy the house, but I was looking for landscaping help. I was hoping for some suggestions for some deer resistant plants that I could plant in the spring.

I like the pergola idea, and I think the front door needs something.

I was thinking something along the lines of removing the concrete sidewalk and replacing it with something nicer, but not sure what yet.

1) Deck
2) A flagstone patio/courtyard
3) Stamp concrete

The view to the front is fine. There is one house next door, and everything else is vacant (woods).

Thanks for all the comments.

Barb

If you search GW for "curb-appeal" you will find lots of reading material. But it seems you already know your answer by the way you framed your question -- the house needs to be re-painted. The beige siding, grey foundation wall, wall-paper bricks, and white shutters and door/surround just don't seem to work well together.

For landscaping, why fight the deer if you are going to re-sell? Just re-seed the grass, round-up the gravel driveway, and edge everything in sight. Plant a few blue spruce at the end of the driveway, and call it "good". Any decent landscape maintenance company could do all of this work for you in the Spring.

Hi Barb, first off, I am sorry that people are so negative about this house. You probably have good reasons why you consider buying it, so let's see what can be done with it. I don't have a professional background in landscaping or home remodeling, so take everything I will say with a grain of salt please. After looking at your picture of the house these are the things I noticed that I wouldn't like, if it were my house (or future home): First thing I noticed was the color, I am not a big fan of pink, so I would invest some money to get a good paint job done. Depending on what color you choose the shutters and down-spouts should painted as well, as white may not be the right choice anymore.
Second thing I noticed was the landing at the front door. My first immediate thought was: Slippery when Wet! I would replace that structure with a nice inviting landing of a lighter colored stone material, maybe using advantage of the slope towards the house by building a low circular or curved retaining wall.
Third thing I noticed was the high wall right above the front door and the roof that is too high up and to small to provide shelter from rain and snow. It may actually shelter the door some, but visually it doesn't work. I would agree with bahia that an extended pergola would work well to provide that visual shelter and to break up that space above the front door that dwarfs the door right now.
Last thing I noticed was the side of the house...it's huge with now windows to break it up, and an (forgive me pls) ugly gray concrete block lower third. I would consider several options, depending on your budget. Paint (cheapest) to some form of siding would probably help. How about a nice large, maybe artsy looking trellis that will allow you to grow some climbers there, together with shrubs and or small trees in a large bed in front of that large side wall? Also, how far back does that driveway go? Where do you want it to end? I was wondering if you could create one large curving bed, that starts from the right side of the new landing in the front, wraps in a generous curve around the corner and flows towards where the tires are and sweep towards the trees. That would allow you to plant shrubs and smaller trees closer to the house and make a transition into the natural looking woods behind your house. Plus, it would provide some greenery and privacy to the deck behind your house that looks a little bare right now. One more thing, and than I stop (promise! :-) ), I agree with bahia that sweeping beds of shrubs and smaller trees would work well to break up the expanse of lawn and tie the house more in with the woods around it. Not knowing what the look from the windows towards the street looks like you may be able to create the look of a cozy home in the woods.
Sorry for rambling on, I hope these broad ideas help you some. And please feel free to ignore my very subjective list of negatives I started with. I figured if I notice it others may too. Good luck with the house, and if you don't feel to discouraged by now, maybe you could post a few more pictures of the house and the surroundings? I would be very interested to see what it currently looks like and what you end up changing. Have a great day!
Marc

as far as curb appeal, we deal with deer and they are horrendous. i suggest hardscaping (trellis, concrete, etc. suggested by others) rather than plants. let the next owner discover how difficult it is to keep anything alive...also, there is one little light...how nice would it be to return to a little house in the woods that had a string of low voltage lights in front...especially in winter i think that would be great. the woods can be very dark and gloomy. light the deck too.
i moved to PA (see name) and what i have learned is the importance of garages here. even old stinky falling down garages. why? i have no idea. people do not appear to use them for cars.. i see no garage or storage around the house..that would be actually something that might be important, even if only a shed. good luck kren

I currently live in a Split Foyer house within a mostly split foyer neighborhood. The one thing that gives the house more of a visually vertical appearance is to hide the "split" of the house. Using really tall bushes and/or flowers to hide the split actually makes the house look much more grandeur. My fiancee and I are in the process of doing this with our own house for future selling in 2-3 years. A few houses in the neighborhood don't even look like split foyers because they do such a great job.

I also have to say, that the color of a house, especially an unliked type like split foyer, can help tremendously. Many colors make them look bigger, but I do agree that a ladder is out of the question.

Good luck and happy flipping!

Jenny