It also could mean the difference between selling your house or having it sit on the market for months and months, maybe even years.

Realtors and landscapers alike can offer suggestions for improving the curb appeal of your property, whether it's for sale or just in need of an update.

Adding just a few touches here and there -- either repair or decorative in nature -- ultimately will add to the visual interest of your home.

» Mature trees are popular, because shade can reduce a home's energy bills.

» Choose plants with a neat appearance and containers that are classically neat and neutral.

» Plant annuals, perennials or flowering shrubs for instant color.

"Any type of color to the front of the house," said Mike Moulton, residential design sales manager for Five Seasons Landscape in Reynoldsburg. "The first 30 seconds tell you if you like the house or not."

» Consider giving a fresh coat of paint to house trim, porch furniture, picket fences, porch columns, arches or other decorative architectural accents.

» Redesign the front with a new walk, porch, new steps or coverings. "There are a number of things we can design for a home that will enhance the appearance," Moulton said. "You can spend just a few hundred dollars or can completely redo the front of the home between $20,000-$40,000."

» Remove any dead, diseased or dying plants with a spring or fall cleanup. Edge beds and mulch for a finished, professional look. Get rid of novelty yard ornaments or garden props, which can detract from a landscape's natural beauty. If a lawn is in horrendous shape, consider replacing it with sod.

» Enliven your entryway.

"Freshen up the front door by painting, putting on a wreath or placing baskets or containers nearby," said Cyndi Corder, Realtor with Frank Frye Century 21 in Newark. "Even freshening up or changing the hardware on the door will help."

» Create a focal point between the street and the home so prospective buyers (or visitors) enjoy their walk to the front door, Corder suggested.

» A new house number can perk up the appearance of your home. Consider brass or wrought iron for a modern look.

"The idea is to encourage the visitor to enjoy the elements from the curb to the door," Corder said. "Keep in mind to match the landscaping to the style and size of the home. Give it seasonal updates."

» Accentuate nighttime curb appeal with landscape lighting along walks, drives and entries; or create focal points by spotlighting key landscaping elements or interesting architectural features.

» Keep your yard and driveway clutter- and vehicle-free.

» Kill any mold and mildew growing anywhere on the house.

» Go to the pros for help.

"Before you get yourself in trouble, ask a professional to find out exactly what would make it appealing to someone else," Moulton said. "If you are looking to sell your home, there is something to enhance it without spending a lot of money."

It also could mean the difference between selling your house or having it sit on the market for months and months, maybe even years.

Realtors and landscapers alike can offer suggestions for improving the curb appeal of your property, whether it's for sale or just in need of an update.

Adding just a few touches here and there -- either repair or decorative in nature -- ultimately will add to the visual interest of your home.

» Mature trees are popular, because shade can reduce a home's energy bills.

» Choose plants with a neat appearance and containers that are classically neat and neutral.

» Plant annuals, perennials or flowering shrubs for instant color.

"Any type of color to the front of the house," said Mike Moulton, residential design sales manager for Five Seasons Landscape in Reynoldsburg. "The first 30 seconds tell you if you like the house or not."

» Consider giving a fresh coat of paint to house trim, porch furniture, picket fences, porch columns, arches or other decorative architectural accents.

» Redesign the front with a new walk, porch, new steps or coverings. "There are a number of things we can design for a home that will enhance the appearance," Moulton said. "You can spend just a few hundred dollars or can completely redo the front of the home between $20,000-$40,000."

» Remove any dead, diseased or dying plants with a spring or fall cleanup. Edge beds and mulch for a finished, professional look. Get rid of novelty yard ornaments or garden props, which can detract from a landscape's natural beauty. If a lawn is in horrendous shape, consider replacing it with sod.

» Enliven your entryway.

"Freshen up the front door by painting, putting on a wreath or placing baskets or containers nearby," said Cyndi Corder, Realtor with Frank Frye Century 21 in Newark. "Even freshening up or changing the hardware on the door will help."

» Create a focal point between the street and the home so prospective buyers (or visitors) enjoy their walk to the front door, Corder suggested.

» A new house number can perk up the appearance of your home. Consider brass or wrought iron for a modern look.

"The idea is to encourage the visitor to enjoy the elements from the curb to the door," Corder said. "Keep in mind to match the landscaping to the style and size of the home. Give it seasonal updates."

» Accentuate nighttime curb appeal with landscape lighting along walks, drives and entries; or create focal points by spotlighting key landscaping elements or interesting architectural features.

» Keep your yard and driveway clutter- and vehicle-free.

» Kill any mold and mildew growing anywhere on the house.

» Go to the pros for help.

"Before you get yourself in trouble, ask a professional to find out exactly what would make it appealing to someone else," Moulton said. "If you are looking to sell your home, there is something to enhance it without spending a lot of money."

In this instance, do we need a lawyer to sell the house? The agreement is from a well-known national real estate company. — J.P., via email

Dear J.P.: In my judgment, every real estate transaction requires the services of an attorney. You can be certain that your mortgage lender(s) will be represented, as will the financing agency of the buyers.

Far too many things can go wrong — if not now, then somewhere down the road. What makes you think you are above all this?

At the very beginning of the transaction, please see a real estate lawyer. Good luck!

Dear Bruce: In your column about a contractor who took the homeowner's money, you said, "if the contractor cannot pay for the materials out of his own pocket, then you don't want him working for you."

I must submit a rebuttal. My husband has been a sole-proprietor home improvement contractor for 27 years. It is standard procedure for him to collect half the money up-front, one-fourth when the job is half completed and one-fourth at finish.

What that usually means is that the first payment covers most of the materials. Some of the second payment covers materials, while the rest is payment for his time. The last payment covers the rest of the hours he has worked.

Most contractors don't make any profit until the job is completed and fully paid for.

I expect to get paid every week for the work I do, as I assume you do. Depending on the job, the contractor may not make any money to pay his workers or himself until several weeks have gone by. Would you be OK with that?

You are assuming that all homeowners are honest and all contractors are dishonest.

But for the contractor to put out all the money for the job and then have the homeowner not pay him is as prevalent as the contractor duping the homeowner.

Homeowners do have recourse, in that a sheriff can confiscate equipment and personal property for sale to settle a judgment if a judge finds a contractor to be dishonest.

Only knowing one side of the story, you found the contractor guilty. Maybe the homeowner has changed his mind about design or materials, and all the work the contractor has done so far is for naught. For example: "Oh, I don't want the wall over there. I want it over here now."

The homeowner doesn't think he should pay any additional amount because all he did was change his mind, but the contractor is out time and materials.

In today's economy, it is hard enough to keep your head above water without having a respected writer now telling customers not to put any money down with the contractor. — J.W., Reading, Pa.

Dear J.W.: I don't disagree with many of the points you have made, and there are certainly many unreasonable people who want changes made without paying the contractor additional monies.

All too often, a contractor who is well intentioned gets into financial trouble, which results in the homeowner getting stuck.

If materials are delivered to my property that the contractor has ordered and that are charged to the contractor's account, and then the contractor doesn't pay, guess whom the supplier will come after?

The supplier can file a mechanic's lien on my property for something I didn't benefit from since I've already paid the contractor.

I'm not going to let that happen. In my life what I have done — and I've never been turned down — is offer to deposit with my attorney the sum I ordinarily would give the contractor, to be turned over to the contractor once he meets all of his responsibilities.

If the contractor can provide a letter from his supplier holding me harmless as to any materials delivered to my property that is acceptable as well.

It's a tough world out there, and I am sympathetic to your problems. However, it is my responsibility to make sure my readers protect themselves.