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Archive for September, 2009

Reasons To Live In Payson Arizona

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

There are many reasons why you might need to find out the value of your home. This article on real estate in the Town of Payson, AZ will tell you some of the key reasons for finding out the value of your home. From there, we will look at how you can get your home valued.

One of the main areas just outside of Payson is the modest town of Strawberry. With a population of just over 1,000, it is a very small and humble area to live in. It is a two-hour drive from the Arizona capital of Phoenix.

Strawberry is an ideal place to consider if you are planning to build your own home. There are many agencies that specialise in selling land. There is a wide variety of choice available from a variety of many different realtors in the area.

Should you be considering changing to a new mortgage plan or even obtaining a mortgage, it can be incredibly useful to know the value of the home. Always bear in mind that if you have the value of your home priced too high, this can make you pay more in future. With the current economic situation driving down the prices of real estate, it can be beneficial of you to make a check.

On a MLS, important information about your home is listed ? like the size of your home and a brief description about what makes your real estate stand out from all of the others. In some ways, selling your home to the Realtors is as important as selling to the buying customer. This is because Realtors who are interested by your house will offer it to their clients if it is in their price range.

When your house goes on the market, there is usually a very sudden surge of interest. This may seem promising, and can be, but usually it is very routine and not something unusual. Realtors are always on the lookout for new homes in the market to show to their clients.

Now, if you want to find out the value of your home, there are a number of things that you can do. The first is to visit a local realtor from the area of your choice. Some realtors offer home evaluations which give you a detailed look at the value of your property based on its principal features.

Home evaluations may be offered as a free service by realtors in the hope of you becoming a client. If you are interested, realtors can analyze the current progress of the market. From there, you can be given an informed judgment on how much your home is worth.

Known as The Rim by locals, Realtors in the Mogollon Rim (interestingly pronounced as Muggy-own) handle a variety of real estate. From lodges to homes and ranches to cabins, the different types of real estate found in this rather secluded area are impressive. Some residents take the opportunity to make The Rim their second home, leaving Realtors to rent out their property when they are not residing there.

The value of a home and what is sells for can sometimes be two completely different things. If you are unsure whether the value that your home holds will convert into an asking price, there is a service that you can consider called InstaCompare. The service, which is available online through some realtors, analyses how much certain houses in the area surrounding your property sold for recently.

With the current financial situation internationally, keeping an eye on your assets can be beneficial. Using all of the information in this article will allow you to do so. What?s more, you may be able to use the details that you find from your realtor to your advantage.

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The Scoop on Interest Rate Only Home Loans

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

When you make your monthly home loan payment, part of it goes to pay the bank its interest, and part of it goes to pay off the loan. This was how most mortgages were until recently. But there are now new types of mortgages that only pay the interest.

The home owner can choose how much to pay each month, as long as he pays an enough to will satisfy the interest, and does not change the principal. Even with more conventional home loans, you could pay additional on your mortgage to reduce the principal balance more quickly, but the idea here is to keep the monthly payment low.

The concept was believed to be valid since rising housing prices guaranteed an increase in the equity of the home. Normally, equity in a property is gained by a combination of paying off the principal and increasing home values.

Today?s falling home prices means that borrowers can no longer depend on an automatic increase in their house?s value. The only reason that one would prefer to have an interest only loan is to keep the monthly payment as little as possible. But these situations should only be temporary situations.

Suppose, for example, that borrowers bought a house at the time when one of them was employed and one of them was still in school. This is a temporary situation, and as soon as the second partner finishes his studies and starts a job, the loan should be changed to interest plus equity or additional payments should be made to lower the loan.

Another example would be where the homeowner has income that varies greatly from month to month. An example of this could be someone who did project work and was only paid at the end of each project. Keeping the mortgage low in the months when income was low and then paying additional equity when the windfall came would be a sensible decision, as long as the discipline was there to make the extra payments.

But eventually, the homeowner should be sure that those principle payments get caught up on. Using a traditional loan mechanism, if the property value is lower, flat or only increases slightly, the margin of equity that the borrower deposited will cover the difference. If the owner only pays interest, the loan balance never decreases, so if the owner sells in today?s market of declining prices, he may not receive enough to pay off the mortgage.

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Homeowner Insurance — Proven Tips For Discounts

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

It’s yours to decide whether or not to insure your house if you bought it cash without any mortgagor. Nevertheless, most people will rather do without most necessities than stay without home insurance. They do this because they know that their home is a very valuable investment that they must take care of by all means.

But we all will be glad to pay much less if the quality of coverage we get won’t be compromised. Good a thing, this article presents practical ways to reduce your home insurance rates.

Home owners Insurance Quotes

1. Make sure you don’t fail to deduct the land’s cost from your home’s value while applying for a home insurance policy. Folks do this ignorantly. They just insure their house for its full value without removing the cost of the land.

If you did such ignorantly, you’ll have to review your home insurance coverage and check it again with your agent. Subtract the land’s value and you will find out that you’ll need far less coverage.

Your rate will be cheaper and you’ll still have sufficient coverage if you do this right. No matter what you do and who you get in contact with, remember that the only things you insure are things that can be lost or destroyed and your land is not one of such.

2. You will spend more or less depending on your credit rating. Folks who have very good ratings pay far less than folks who have low ratings. If your credit rating is poor then you’ve NOT been faithful in paying up your bills. An insurance company interprets this to mean that you are financially irresponsible and will possibly default in paying your premiums. This makes you less attractive to them and you, therefore, are made to pay much more than some other person with similar profile that has a very good rating.

So do your utmost to attend to all your bills in a timely manner. It will help you attract lower rates among other things.

3. You will get cheaper rates if you choose to pay your premiums yearly and not every month. A major reason for this is the cost an insurance company incurs by sending you twelve bills instead of just one annually.

The cost increases if you add the fact that they pay transaction fees for processing each check you give them monthly as payment. They pay transaction fees twelve times instead of once yearly for monthly payments. And, if you really come to think of it, these extra costs are eventually added to your rates.

Therefore choose annual payments instead if you want to save through this means. The real amount you could save might differ but expect to save up to a month’s premium worth with some insurers if you choose this option.

4. Make sure that the exterior of your home is fire-safe and your premium will be cheaper. Having things that are quite inflammable or that aid combustion around your dwelling will make you pay higher rates. As easy as it looks, cutting back bushes and maintaining them up to ten feet from your building will help reduce your rates. This is because how fire-safe a home is goes a long way in determining what it will cost to insure it.

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How To Understand How Interest Rates Act

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

If you are considering buying a house or refinancing your present home, you probably are wondering if this is the right time. Will interest rates go up, in which case you should lock in a fixed interest home loan for as long as you can, or are they headed down, which means you want to either put off buying or refinancing, or choose a rate that adjusts frequently?

The interest rate on your home loan will be influenced by many factors and economic indicators, and having a basic understanding of these will help you in your decision. The first thing to realize is that interest rates are actually the price of money and like all prices, they are influenced by supply and demand.

The inflation rate, which indicates the supply of money, is the first and most important factor in interest rates. The inflation rate has two primary indicators. The Producer Price Index and the Consumer Price Index are the primary two factors.

PPI is the measure of differences in prices in a given length of for goods at the production level. Consistently rising PPI, which raises prices of finished goods, will make all goods more expensive and lead to inflation.

CPI is the measure of the change in prices at the consumer level, measured as a group of items. CPI is more well known to most people because it shows whether the prices we are paying are rising or going down, and by how much. Certain segments of CPI can ?skew? the percentages, so analysts frequently remove changes in food and oil prices, which are often too volatile. The remaining items form the core inflation rate, which will tell us how prices will perform in the future.

GDP is another relatively good predictor of inflation and interest rates. The Federal Reserve Bank attempts to keep the economy growing at a ideal rate; too slow and production will lag, which causes recession; too fast and the economy may overheat. The Fed has some tools to control interest rates and will use them to increase rates when it needs to slow the economy down and decrease them when it needs to help the economy to pick up.

The next very important interest rate indicator is the unemployment level. Low unemployment is considered inflationary since employers have to chase after too few candidates, and will raise wages to do this. If unemployment is up, the resulting decreased wages will mean lower inflation. In other words, increased wages lead to a wage price spiral and decreased wages bring prices down.

If you are thinking about a mortgage, it is to your advantage to watch these indicators to target the best timing to enter the loan market. A general rule is falling GDP and increasing unemployment will lead to lower interest rates. Increasing GDP and reduced unemployment means the economy is picking up and you can expect increased interest rates in the future.

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Cheap Home Insurance Rates — Steps People Take To Pay Less

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Folks who have discovered what to do don’t have any problems getting the lowest rates without downgrading the quality of coverage they get. I’ll reveal several steps to take if you want considerable discounts that won’t leave you with insufficient coverage…

Cheap Home Contents Insurance

1. Does your home have fire escapes? If your answer is “yes” then ensure that your agent knows about it as it should get you a small discount. Even if all you have are simple rope ladders for the upper rooms, you still could get some discounts. Make sure you have a fire escape except you do not want to benefit from this savings opportunity. And do not fail to find out from your agent what your insurance company takes as a standard fire escape since complying with that assures savings.

2. Insuring your home against every peril is NOT really necessary. There are perils that will never happen in some places. You can almost say with confidence that some perils aren’t a possibility in certain states going by their climate trend.

Ensure that your home has coverage against all all losses that have a good chance of happening. However, there’s no reason for you to really purchase coverage for a peril that has not happened in a state for five decades. Choosing the right perils will make you pay for only coverage that is necessary. You’ll reduce your rate by doing this if you bought too much at first.

3. Upgrade your heating, electrical and plumbing systems to current standards and you will enjoy a discount of as much as 15%. You can stake that heating your home the old school way, although romantic, could quickly result to a fire incident. Advancement has been made in home building technology. Taking these steps will lower your premium and will, in most cases, also increase the value of your home.

4. A group homeowner’s insurance policy will cost you less. You should be aware if your employer gives such. It’s as well good to verify from associations you are part of if they have any group discount from any insurer.

But before you purchase see if you can obtain a lower home insurance premium with another carrier than that given by your association. This is because you may end up getting an insurer that is willing to take less than you will even receive with an group discount. There is stiff competition in the home insurance niche and you can benefit from this to get cheaper premiums if you spend some time to do thorough shopping and comparisons.

5. There are exclusions in your home insurance policy. Do you know them? Be well informed that you won’t get compensated for things that are excluded from your policy.

Therefore, before you settle for a cheap rate ensure the insurer does not exclude something that is important to you. No matter how inexpensive a policy is, it isn’t worth much if it does NOT give you the right level of coverage. Before buying ensure you know what is covered to avoid unpleasant surprises.

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Get Lower Homeowners Insurance Rates

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Homeowners insurance can take a big bite out of your budget, so you want to get the best price possible. If you get the best price you can now, the savings will add up over the number of years you will be paying homeowners insurance premiums. If you investigate the different policies before you buy, you will cut your insurance expense. Read on for help on what to look for in your policy.

Not everyone bothers to investigate how insurance premiums are figured but for those who do - saving money is their reward. Plus by doing the research you will better understand what your policy covers.

1. Coverage - Different homeowners insurance policies may offer different extra benefits. For instance, some policies may include a personal legal responsibility option. This means if a visitor to your house gets hurt, the personal legal responsibility option covers them.

Theft benefits can also be included in a homeowners policy. My parent’s policy paid out when I was burglarized while attending college in another state. Check out your policy to see what else is included besides the basic coverage. Rates vary significantly among companies. What are your true needs?

2. Choosing the Deductible - The insurance company requires you to a pay a certain amount of money to them before they will pay your claim. This amount of money is defined as the insurance deductible. Your monthly insurance expense will be less, if your choose a higher deductible amount. Savings can be as much as 50% if you choose the highest deductible. If you are concerned about having to actually pay out the money on a high deductible, set aside some money each month for that purpose. Call it your insurance deductible fund. You get lower premiums and a stash of money you may not need to use.

3. Loyalty - Somewhat like a volume discount, if you have multiple policies (home, auto, life) with the same insurer you may get a cost reduction. Insurance companies also reduce your rate if you are a long time customer. Three to five year customers receive a five percent savings and six years or more customers receive a ten percent savings.

4. Are you a Retiree - If you`re above the age of 55 and a retiree, you may be eligible for an additional discount. Insurance companies assume if you are retired you are at home more and more likely to spot potential problems. You also have more time for home maintenance. You can expect a price cut of at least 10 percent if you are eligible.

5. Group Insurance Price Reductions - Insurance companies love to spread the risk so, you may get a better rate if you buy the coverage through an employment-based policy. Check with your human resources specialist, alumni organization, as well as with other kinds of affiliations to see if they offer company residence insurance.

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Cheapest Homeowners’ Insurance — Tips For Savings

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Everyone out there would be really pleased to discover a way of enjoying lower rates as long as such a way does not downgrade the scope of coverage they enjoy. Here are steps that will help you get considerable discounts without difficulty…

1. You’ll as well enjoy a discount if you have motion-sensitive lighting for your home’s exterior. Thieves generally do NOT like to operate in any place they could be easily seen or caught. The risk of burglary is a strong factor in determining a home’s risk to an insurance company and, by extension, your premium.

Cheap Home Contents Insurance

2. Dead-bolt locks on all doors to the exterior will help you get a more affordable rate. They will make it more difficult for burglars to get into your house. And because a home’s risk of burglary is a key determinant of home insurance premiums, you’ll pay far less.

3. Window locks on every window will save you a little since they reduce your home’s risk of burglary. You can take this to another level by fixing burglary-proof bars on all your windows. If you are not opposed to this have them fitted in your home and enjoy lower rates.

4. Have special fire and security gadgets that alert fire stations, police stations or other monitoring centers. You will obtain a huge discount apart from the fact that you will feel safer that your home is being watched by competent people. Depending on the insurance provider, this type of systems can save you between 25% and 30%.

5. Fix smoke and fire detectors. They will go a long way in reducing your home’s fire risk You will attract lower rates especially if you’ve fixed the right numbers for your size and type of home. If you have them, don’t forget to change their batteries twice every year.

Detectors mean fires are easily spotted and extinguished before much damage is done. This attracts a lower rate since it implies that the risk of a fire damage is lower.

6. Endeavour to have fire extinguishers at strategic points in your home. For instance, your kitchen must have a good and working fire extinguisher. And make sure it is such that is suitable for the kitchen in question.

And, don’t forget that you must make them very easily accessible. Doing this will help you reduce your rates.

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Do You Need Flood Insurance?

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

The world is experiencing new weather patterns that cause flood insurance to now be a necessity for anyone who owns a home or a building. Because flooding is not restricted to the coastal regions, floods can happen to anyone at any time, even without many of the warning signs that once were considered a precursor to a flood.

But what about other areas that are not quite so low lying and are not quite so surrounded by water? Do homes in these areas have any real risk of being taken down by a flood? A simple flood that brings water into your home that only causes even an inch or two flooding in the house can cost literally thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Two inches of water will impact everything from the floors and carpeting to the items that are touching the floor.

Electrical components are highly sensitive to flooding and can be crippled with only a small amount of water. Perhaps it seems like your home is out of the reach of flood waters, but the chances of being touched by a flood increase with every rain. In many areas, the ground water can pose just as much of a flood risk as the rivers and oceans that surround many of the lower lying areas.

There is a lot of speculation that these new weather patterns that are causing unprecedented flooding in higher regions are caused by global warming. Since there are new and unusual weather patterns developing throughout the world, no one is immune to a flood any longer.

Everything you own could be at risk. Flood insurance is a very inexpensive way to ensure that if the unexpected happens you will be in a position to fix the problem and to financially recover from the incident. Without the appropriate insurance policy, you could be facing an unreasonable amount of money to bring your home back into a reasonable living condition.

Overall, the incidents of flooding have increased significantly over the past ten years. There are some areas that have never seen flood waters before that are now seeing water damage that is caused by rising waters produced by new monster storms.

It takes very little time and money to get a good insurance policy that will protect you against the damage of even a small flood. While you might not have an ocean front view, flood waters can still manage to do a great deal of damage.

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Understand How to Deal with Homeowners Insurance

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Does your home owners policy cost too much? Or are you actually shopping around for a quote because you are one of the thousands of new homeowners under the stimulus package? You should educate yourself about the type of coverage you are shopping for. For most of us, our homes are our biggest assets, and our insurance is a substantial bill every month.

Think about the things that a good policy must cover. It is obvious, I think, that the actual home will need to be protected. But also consider any outside structures. If a visitor to your home claims injury or damage, you will be happy to have liability insurance. You also have the contents of your home, like tv sets, computers, and jewelry, and those may be worth many thousands of dollars to replace. Finally, consider how you would find a place to live if your home was damaged and needed to be repaired or rebuilt.

Do not worry. We are talking about finding good home policy deals. But first, I think, it is important to understand what is in those policies. It is not worth it to save ten bucks a month if you are not well covered.

The Actual House - Your actual building must be covered, and it will probably be protected for the actual cost of rebuilding, and not just the home’s stated value. Your older home may have only cost a hundred thousand dollars, but may cost twice that to rebuild with new materials.

What is Outside the House? Most homes have other structures outside that can cost a lot to repair. Fences, landscaping, decks, etc. are some examples of this.

Liability - If a visitor to your home claims injury, you could be sued. Make sure your insurer will back you up!

Relocation - If you cannot stay in your home because it needs repairs, an insurer can help you out.

Personal Property - Do not neglect to cover your belongings. Just like the building, you probably want to cover them at the replacement cost, and not just the value. Your tv set may only be worth $100 at a second hand store, but may cost you $500 to replace!

I hope you understand the basics of normal home owners insurance policies. Now it is time to look for a good rate on that policy.

Insurance rates are local, but beyond that, different companies offer their own premium schedules, and their own discounts. One insurer may reduce their premium for customers who also cover their car with them, but they do not all do this. Another may cut 10% for installing a burglar alarm, while another may cut rates fifteen percent. It is important to find the best insurer for a person like you.

On the other hand, some insurers will increase rates for a poor credit score. If you are concerned about this, you probably need to look for a company that does not give so much weight to this.

I encourage you to consider an online quote form. Type in the basic facts about your home, enter, and then relax. Top competitive insurers will send you their rates and plans so you can compare.

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Skills you Need to Rehab a Home

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Drywall/ Plaster Repair When rehabbing old houses, cracks and holes in the plaster are common. Often, holes in ceiling plaster are the result of water infiltrating either from the roof, or from a split plumbing line. Holes in walls are often the result of vandalism, but could be the sign of more serious foundation issues. Once the root cause is fixed (see basic water repair section) cut a square area and replace with inch drywall. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish.

Basic Water Pipe Repair Many of the foreclosed homes that I encounter have sat over the winter and the cold weather has burst water pipes in the basement and walls. Usually the hardest part of the repair is finding all the leaks. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. Rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. The flux will melt creating a vacuum inside the coupler and drawing the solder inside. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak. If you are worried about using a butane torch on this project, ask your hardware professional about Shark-Bite fixtures.

Drain Repair Clogged drains are very common. A snake should be a staple in your tool box. Drains work by using the force of gravity to expel wastewater down and out of the house. Improperly working drains can be the result of improper pitch in the drain line or a clog. If a clog is found in the drain line, such as hair or grease, remove the drain, remove the clog, replace the drain and test.

Replacing Light Fixtures When I am working on electrical fixtures, I like to turn off all power to the house. If this is not feasible or if other people need power to perform other work, I just turn off the circuits one by one as needed. Be sure to check the wires with a voltage meter to insure the power is off. Remove the old fixture by unscrewing the wire nuts or by cutting the wires. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach you new fixture with wire nuts. Be sure to tape off any exposed wire with electrical tape. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly.

Window Installation Carefully remove the old window. Be sure not to damage the old wood frame and the window sill. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the exterior of the sill and level the shims. Secure the shims. Place the new window in the opening. Place more wood shims along the sides at the top, middle and the bottom. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation or fiberglass insulation.

Refinishing Wood Floors Almost every house I buy has stained, smelly tattered carpet covering stained hardwood floors. Rather than re-carpet the floors, I like to refinish the hardwood. First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. Make sure that you get a thorough explanation from the rental yard on the operation of the drum sander and that you understand it completely before you begin this project. Working a drum sander is a lot like working a self-propelled lawn mower. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor. I start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. After vacuuming, I suggest a damp mopping. Once the floor is dry apply your choice of stain, Allow to dry then coat with 2 - 3 layers of polyurethane. Replace the molding.

Laying Tile The key to a good tile project is a good foundation. Whether you are tiling a wall or floor, the foundation must be plumb or level and the surface must be flat. Once the old covering has been removed lay a product like Hardi-Backer, an extremely durable cement-based product. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Place a spacer next to the tile and position the next piece. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile (travertine, slate, marble) be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don’t, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix a grout color of your choice, push the grout between the tiles with a rubber float and clean up all excess grout.

Texturing a Ceiling To get a perfectly textured ceiling, dip a paint roller with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Roll the mud onto the ceiling. Push your texturing brush into the mud and pull back quickly to create a random dimple pattern all across your ceiling. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint or a color to complement your walls.

Painting a Room Two tools that will make painting a room faster, easier and produce a better result are an orbital sander and a power sprayer. Use the orbital sander to smooth out any surface imperfections. Once the walls are smooth, start spraying. First, spray the walls, and ceilings with a coat of latex based primer. Next spray your ceiling with a white ceiling paint. Then spray your walls with a flat paint. Flat paint is the best choice for hiding small imperfection in your walls surface. Be sure to follow the sprayer with a roller to produce the best results. For a great finished look, be sure to apply a fresh coat of white semi-gloss paint to all trim.

Landscaping The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Take time to remove all the overgrown 1950’s era plants and replace them with smaller more modern looking plants. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn’t look like overgrown in two years. After planting the large landscape in this fashion, take time to plant flowers around your new plants and enjoy your new look.

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