Plant some green

Did anyone see Lew Sichelman's pience in the March 12, 2006 Chicago Tribune Real Estate section regarding landscaping and home values. He suggests that landscaping done correstly can increase the value of a property by 20% instantly. He constrasted this with the common landscaping done by home builders (what landscaping?).

The article quotes the American Society of Landscape Architects as saying one should invest 5% to 10% of a home's value on landscaping. The article also talks about negotiating with home-builders regarding how to spend your landscaping budget.

Or you can do like I do and abhor the new subdivisions and only live in the old-style leafy suburbs!