Part of springtime for Syracuse home owners is to get outside and put their finishing touches on their properties with landscaping, painting or adding something new. It can become competitive on a friendly level and the Eastwood Neighborhood Association is looking for 20 of the best homes.
It’s the third year the association has held the ‘Curb Appeal’ contest and it will be ongoing through the good weather. Member Minch Lewis says voters will know the type of home to nominate when they see it.
“You’re driving down and you see this house (and you say) WOW!! That looks really great. That’s curb appeal. That’s the kind of home that could be entered, nominated for the Curb Appeal Challenge.”
Lewis says our own Mayor has family roots to Eastwood and cites many improvements to the area since she’s been in office along James Street, and a veteran’s monument. Although, Stephanie Miner mentioned that she’s never performed landscaping herself, she has great appreciation for those who do. Recently, she made an appeal of her own to encourage properties owners throughout the city to tidy things up after a long winter. She thinks other neighborhoods could do something similar as Eastwood.
“In every neighborhood, there are strong neighborhood organizations and they decide how to celebrate their strong neighborhoods and how to highlight their curb appeal and their property owners. This is particular and unique to Eastwood. If another neighborhood wants to do something like this, we’d welcome it and support it. But, some neighborhoods have runs, art on the parks, craft festivals the first weekend of June. So, again, that’s part of what makes the city so strong and special is that every neighborhood has its own unique strengths and they celebrate off of those strengths.”
And there is something to be said about attractive homes and yards. E.N.A. member AnneliseBucci says there is an overall benefit.
“It’s just to encourage neighbors to start making their houses look nice and appealing because we like to have people move into our neighborhoods. And if houses look nice and your neighborhoods; your real estate (value) goes up.”
Votes for homes and yards are cast by the general public and you don’t have to live in Eastwood section of Syracuse to vote. 20 winners will receive a $500 gift certificate towards a home improvement project. For more information or to cast your vote, you can visit the Eastwood Neighborhood Association’s website by clicking here. The awards ceremony will take place on September 15, 2015 during the organization’s annual meeting and dinner. The Home Builders and Remodeler’s Association also contributed to the effort.
