Who doesn’t want to enhance their landscaping while being cost effective and environmentally friendly? While having a lush green lawn is a safe bet for an attractive yard, it can also be a bit boring and lack character. Consider any of these ideas to add some interest while you might actually save money and time.

Shrink your Lawn
More property owners are now replacing their larger lawns for alternatives that don’t need much hydration or maintenance and are more drought friendly. Adding in some hardscapes, low maintenance ground cover or succulents are all great ideas. A move in this direction can save money and time spent on your yard while implementing some exciting focal points.

Add Edible Plantings
When mapping out the plantings in your garden, consider adding in a vegetable or fruit garden. These plants add character to your landscaping while giving you food and herbs. Additionally, many plants of this variety produce pretty foliage and flowers too.

Fire Pit for Gathering
When the weather cooperates, your outdoor space is an extension of your home. Add a firepit to your yard for those fun and relaxing evenings with family or friends.

Add Yard Lighting
Solar powered lighting has really come a long way and is the perfect way to add some interest into your yard. Line a walkway, patio or even spotlight your plantings with these efficient lights. Your home can really stand out at night while the illumination also adds function.

Natural Habitat
Homeowners have gotten a lot more wise over the past years and are no longer trying to force non-native plants into their landscape surroundings. Today, adding other natural or native features is becoming more popular. This includes things like birdhouses, coverage for insects and animals to help camouflage them.

Broward GP LLC has recently said that is plans to sell a vacant parcel of land in the downtown Fort Lauderdale area that could be a prime spot for offices, residences or a hotel. They had paid $10.53 million for the land over 10 years ago in 2004.

An asking price has not been set said the listing agent. “They just haven’t found that right deal yet,” he said. “But it’s a really dynamic site.”

The parcel is zoned for a dwelling up to 500 feet which could accommodate roughly 500,000 SF or potentially 400-500 residential units. Alternatively a hotel could also be a possibility with ground floor retail space.

It was stated that the current owner had originally bought the property as an investment and had recently decided to sell it now as development momentum for the area has come into full swing. The location is also just two blocks away from the new Brightline commuter rail station that is slated to open later in the year. The area has been on the rise with thousands of apartments and rentals having opened nearby recently.

In addition to residential developers, those building for office space have also been proceeding forth with plans for commercial space as of late. As a result of the demand for the area, Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s office vacancy rate is very low due to all of the recent business expansion in the area.

The redevelopment of the Las Olas Riverfront will also help foster and continue growth for the downtown area. Property Markets Group has plans to build 1,200 apartments and 40,000 SF of retail and restaurant space on the parcel west of Andrews Avenue. This project will have two phases that will be built over the next seven to eight years.

The excitement of the renaissance for downtown Fort Lauderdale continues as a live, work and play destination comes to fruition.

Creating a home office space that is inspiring and organized can certainly help with your productivity. If you are just using a portion of a counter, simple desk with plain chair or the like, it might be a good idea to take some time and consider a facelift. Here are some great tips that will help inspire you throughout the day while you recreate an important part of your home.

Add some life – Trying to work in an area with no life in it makes it hard to feel alive and inspired. You don’t want to add too much for distraction, but try adding some plants for life and color. Any plants could work that are appropriate for the amount of natural light in your home can do. Succulents are always great options as they are very hardy and don’t require much effort to keep them alive.

Add some color – Implementing splashes of color for interest but not distraction is key. Too much can take away from your productivity while not enough will leave the area drab and boring. Ideas include painting the interior of your bookcase, working in colorful decorative items or swapping out monotone furniture for those that are more vibrant.

Words of inspiration – Add some decorative key words or phrases that foster creativity and positive energy. Wall stickers are a great and easy way to tackle this.

Relaxing accents – It may sound odd to make a productive space relaxing. However, transform that stressful energy into positive energy instead. Avoid selecting anything that may make you drowsy like dim lighting. Things like candles or a nice fluffy rug under your feet are good ideas.

Personal touch – Add a level of comfort to your decor. Even if you have created the perfect environment, it can still be ”flat” if you haven’t customized it as yours. Having some photos of family, friends, favorite places or things are great ideas as you add your own personal touch.

If you are looking to buy a home you will want to know how to do it in the smartest and quickest way possible. The process can most often take a handful of months as you search the market for homes that are suitable. In today’s market, with inventory being low and buyer demand being high, the process can take several months longer as you continue looking. What if you could trim that time down or in half? Here are some helpful tips on how you can be more efficient with your home purchase.

Let the government assist
One of the most challenging parts of buying a home is saving up the money for a down payment. However, there are several down payment assistance programs out there that you may qualify for. Visit downpaymentresource.com for more details about these options.

Stay current on inventory
Consult with your realtor to be sure you are current on properties as they come available. An agent like myself can set you up on MLS so that you are alerted of new listings in real time, or you can do this on select websites like andyweiser.com. When a property of interest becomes available on the market, make sure to visit it as soon as possible before the masses.

Consider a foreclosure
These types of properties are becoming more rare to come by these days, however, if you are fortunate enough to locate one then you can potentially save. Foreclosures typically sell for a substantial amount less than a traditional property on the market. These homes are usually sold “as is” but the good news is there is often less competition of buyers.

Prepare financially
Today, closings are taking longer being closer to 50 days as opposed to the 40 a couple of years ago. To ensure that things move quickly, be sure that you are pre-qualified before you even begin searching for homes. Next, be sure that you have all necessary documentation prepared and ready for your lender to complete your loan approval package. Providing these details earlier can help the process move along as quick as possible.

As your real estate resource, I am an expert on the local real estate market as well as helpful tips on current home design and trends. One challenge that I know that some have is working with smaller spaces in their homes like a smaller bathroom. If you considering an upgrade in the near future for your smaller bathroom, here are 5 helpful tips on how to make it appear larger without knocking down any walls.

Wall mount faucet
If your sink and vanity are already on the smaller side of the spectrum, you can save a lot of space by moving your faucet to the wall. Moving the faucet to the wall will free up valuable counter space for your personal belongings and storage. Visually, this will make the room appear larger.

Floating vanity
If you are looking to save some space under your cabinets then try Installing a floating vanity which is mounted to the wall. A floating vanity will turn the wasted space into more floor space while creating an illusion that the room is larger. It will also provide more room for your feet.

Wall mounted medicine cabinet
In the pursuit of keeping your counters free of too many items, consider mounting a medicine cabinet on the wall for storage. Store your toiletries and personal items here so they are still easily accessed, but out of sight.

Linen storage
If you are short on storage space, try relocating your towels to a hall closet or nearby armoire or cabinet. If you prefer to keep them in the bathroom, try doing a wall mounted open shelf or use the space under your wall mounted vanity.

Mirrors
Mirrors are an essential item in the bathroom for getting ready, but they always create an illusion of making a smaller space seem larger. Choose a modern and larger mirror for your bathroom for a spacious look. Accompanying mirrors with a palette of colors that are lighter will most often make the room appear brighter and more spacious.

The United States real estate markets have shown tight inventory challenges along with prices that have continued to climb. However, this hasn’t barred any foreign buyers from dropping a record amount of money on our properties.

Foreign buyers purchased $153 billion worth of existing homes in the United States from Q2 of 2016 through Q1 of 2017. This was up 49% from the same period from the year before according to a survey from the National Association of Realtors. Specifically, 284,455 properties were bought at a 32% increase from the previous year.

“The political and economic uncertainty both here and abroad did not deter foreigners from exponentially ramping up their purchases,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Foreigners increasingly acted on their beliefs that the U.S. is a safe and secure place to live, work, and invest.”

NAR surveyed 6,000 Realtors last season for the report. Foreign buyers were defined as those who are not living in the U.S. as well as recent immigrants who have been in the country for less than 2 years or have been here on a visa for a minimum of 6 months. Nonresidents comprised 42% of sales with recent immigrants holding the 58% balance. All sales were existing homes, not newly built properties.

So who is spending their cash on U.S. soil? Chinese buyers continued to spend the most for the 4th year in a row at $31.7 billion. They were followed by Canadians now at $19 billion which was double from last year. This is because comparatively, the United States is a great deal for Canadians.

“Prices in Canada have been increasing at a really rapid pace,” says Danielle Hale, NAR’s managing director of housing research. “That makes the United States an attractive alternative for Canadian buyers, especially those folks who live in border cities.”

Remaining top foreign buyers were from the UK, Mexico and India completing the top 5. But where are these buyers focused on purchasing property? Maybe not where everyone thinks. New York wasn’t even in the top 5 for foreign buyers. Instead, right here in Florida topped the list with 22% of the sales. This was followed by California, Texas, New Jersey and Arizona.

“Vacation buyers typically look for warmer locations with affordable prices,” says Hale. “Florida and Arizona are both states where they find that.” They also are interested in purchasing in locations that are prime and near local attractions.

In addition, markets like New York are more expensive with returns that are slimming as a result. These buyers are spending more on their properties than Americans with 72% of buyers living abroad paying cash while 35% of immigrants living in America pay cash.

Today the United States is one of the few modern countries that is showing to be a positive investment. Despite inventory and pricing challenges, the U.S. economy is still performing well making it a viable investment.