Real Estate Agents: It's all about curb appeal.

Let's face it. This housing market is tough. Luckily there is an arsenal of low cost improvements that real estate agents and homeowners alike can do to add that extra touch to any property to get it noticed and hopefully SOLD.
Landscaping is the single most effective way to get prospective home buyers to look at a property. Most of the time however there is a key to the puzzle that is often overlooked: The driveway.

A real estate agent and longtime friend of mine was sitting on a home that had been on the market since last fall. It was in a great neighborhood, had beautiful landscaping, and had lots of extras but it just wasn't getting the traffic she wanted. I asked her how old the driveway was and without hesitation she told me it was paved just last year.

Immediately I asked her, "Is it gray in color?"

"Yes" she said, "But it's in great shape though!"

I told her that regardless of the condition of the asphalt, the lack of contrast with the landscaping was not capturing people's attention. I told her by simply sealing the driveway, the landscaping will come to life. The following week she sealed the driveway she immediately noticed a drastic upswing in the amount of visitors looking at the property and she received two offers that very day!

The truth is that most people are visual and when it comes to landscaping, a newly sealed driveway completes the total visual package. I'm not saying we can jump-start the economy by sealing driveways but it's a step in the right direction. If you yourself are selling a home or if you know someone who is, please pass along this information. I will also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

-Kraig with a 'K'

New Driveway Guru - SealTECH Sealcoating

Who's controlling this crazy weather anyway?

Let's face it. I'm not a meteorologist but one thing is for certain: The weather we have just experienced for nearly an entire month was something straight out of the global warming playbook. Is it us? Is it a natural progression of our planetary system? Is it the government? What ever it was it seems to have settled down a bit and that's good news for us!

While we were not protecting properties and beautifying homes during the Amazonian Deluge, we were diligently working and updating our ever-informative website, which means more education for you; The homeowner. We now have a frequently asked questions page to address many of the concerns associated with sealcoating in general. We also have introduced a new flowchart to determine if we are the best choice for your driveway's needs.

Since we're on the topic, let's discuss what we don't do: If you have sealed your driveway in the past by Latex or Coal Tar Emulsion and looking to re-seal it this year I would suggest sticking with the same material for two reasons:

1. Acrylic is engineered for unsealed driveways simply because it will naturally degrade over the course of two years and it will keep the texture of your new driveway, instead of leaving you with a flat surface prone to cracking. 2. It would not be cost-effective for you to use acrylic after using a different material. The reason for this is because Acrylic will not bond correctly to Latex or Coal Tar and it will exhibit faster wear characteristics.

We have also received quite a bit of calls for commercial sealcoating. Although we have sealed parking lots in the past, they have exhibited faster wear patterns than that of residential driveways. For high traffic applications such as parking lots and gas stations, Latex is the way to go.

If you have a specific question that is not covered on the website, feel free to give me, Kraig with a 'K' a call.