Landscaping and Underestimating

This past weekend was spent landscaping and other “exterior” work at my student rental property in Waterloo.  I had planned on spending all day Saturday and Sunday doing this, and as usual, I was amazed at how much time it took to get so little done!  I figured if I planned on working from 9-5 on both days, I could get everything done…but in reality, I failed to factor in three key items:

1. Home Depot runs – inevitably I forget at least a few tools or find out that I need a new tool to complete a particular project.  Maybe one day I will have all the tools known to man!...well, probably not, but it would be nice.
2. Troubleshooting – something always comes up and things never go according to plans when completing repairs and maintenance.  It is actually amazing how many times I find myself on YouTube trying to figure things out.  Don’t laugh, YouTube is an amazing resource for household repair tips and guides.
3. Getting sidetracked by the newspaper flyers at Coffee Time during lunch.  Embarrassing, I know.

Getting back to landscaping…..Why, you may ask, am I doing landscaping at my student rental??  Are they not called ‘student rentals’ for a reason?....So that you can just take your cheques to the bank and not worry about how the property looks?

Sadly, in some cases, this is 100% true…..however in my case, this could not be further from the truth.

You see, I have long term aspirations for my real estate investments.  I like knowing that I have some of the best ‘student rental’ curb appeal in the business.  I like knowing that my website pictures look fabulous with colorful landscaping and bright green lawn.  I like knowing that this will go a long way in attracting the right type of students for my property.  And most of all I like knowing that not only will this have a positive impact on the rent that I can ask for, it also will increase the re-sale value over the long run!  Key point: LONG run.  “Forced appreciation” is the easiest way to earn capital dollars!

My focus for my landscaping at both properties is simplicity.  What will give me the most bang for my buck, make the property look great and require very limited upkeep?  My answer to this has been shrubs and perennials.  With shrubs, there may be a little pruning here and there, and with perennials the biggest challenge is finding plants that bloom at different times of the year so your yard is colorful year round!  Hardly a chore and if you need help, Google is always a click away.

Lesson 1:  Try to underestimate what you can get done in a day when it comes to household repairs.  This way, you will feel better about yourself when you complete projects that were not on your list.

Lesson 2: Perennials and shrubs are my keys to beautiful curb appeal with limited upkeep.

Lesson 3: YouTube is an amazing resource.

Before

After!