While adding handicap accessible features to your house for sale may seem like a great selling point, realtors have to be very careful in how they market a handicap accessible home. The Federal Fair Housing Laws prevent realtors from marketing a home to just one group of people. However, if you are going to invest in some landscaping to help sell your home, there are features you can consider that are useful for marketing a handicap friendly home to people who don’t have physical challenges such as a wheelchair too.
The main features that wheelchair accessible housing requires are clear paths, open spaces that allow freedom of movement in a wheelchair and wider openings so the chair or other accessibility device such as a cart or gurney can pass through easily. These features translate to wide open spaces, a roomy feel and safe entry are things that many homeowners seek in their new residence.
One of the simplest ways to make your home appealing to both those with handicap accessible needs and those who want a stunning curb appeal is to focus on the entryway. A larger door, spacious porch and a wide walkway leading up to the porch can improve your landscaping. Adding a hardscape element like a gently curving cement walk or level bricked path that rises to a beautiful front door is one of the landscaping tips many people use for selling your home fast.
Oftentimes with an inherited house, a temporary handicap ramp has been set up so that an elderly relative can get in and out more easily. Removing the temporary ramp and creating a walkway that is more permanent is a quick way to improve the appearance of the property as well as incorporate a gentle slope that is both wheelchair and kid friendly, leading to the front door.
Universal design principles have a rule of thumb for creating a wheelchair ramp. For every inch the ramp has to rise to reach the front door, it needs 12 inches of length. If you are working with a front door with a single step, or even two steps you can usually do a very simple grade and you may be able to frame and pour this upgrade yourself. However, if you have an existing porch that requires a longer grade to create a smooth path to the front door, then you will want to consider a professional contractor who can work with your existing structure to create the flow that will make your front door appealing from both an accessibility aspect and an aesthetic viewpoint.
Additional landscaping tips apply to bushes, shrubs, trees and flowers. You will want to ensure that the sides of the path do not have plants that will overgrow and make passage difficult. Plant at least 18 inches from the cement walk in order to allow for growth and use soft, but heavy enough mulch that it will not blow onto the walkway and cause obstructions. Consider placing perennial bushes that will offer at least three-season color rather than investing in annuals that will fade with the seasons and won’t bloom again. When homebuyers see an inviting path to the front door that is flanked by beautiful and low maintenance landscaping, the curb appeal for your home is instant. Accessible housing needs are on the rise, and when making a landscape upgrade it is wise to consider adding value to your home by creating accessible pathways and access.
Many times, people who want to sell their home find that the process does not always go quite as smoothly as they would have hoped. There could be many reasons that you are having issues selling the home. Perhaps you have a home that has been damaged and is in need of repair, or perhaps
If you are trying to sell your home, or you merely want to improve the look of your property, then you need to improve your curb appeal. Many people worry about spending too much money, particularly if they are selling their property. However, a great looking home can help you to increase interest in the