LANDSCAPING IMPACT ON YOUR PROPERTY VALUE: CREATING A PLAN
by Wayne Chaulk BComm., Realtor

You may not be planning to sell soon but looking ahead to one day when you will it is a good idea to take stock of the impact of the outside of your property, particularly the landscaping. It is not only beneficial to do landscaping to enjoy as long as you live at your property but to consider the impact it will have in the future when you do sell. Maybe take this fall/winter to work on a coordinated plan you can start or build on your existing landscaping early next year.

Well done landscaping can add significant value to your property. In fact, it is one of the home improvements you can make that not only adds value immediately but also increases in value as the years go by. While interior decor and design concepts regularly go in and out of style and mechanical systems wear down needing replacement, plants and vegetation grow fuller and more robust as the years go by enhancing the look of properties and offering much enjoyment to the owners in the meantime.

Landscaping encompasses hard landscaping and soft landscaping, the two main approaches in landscape design, focusing on living and non-living elements. Hard landscaping, or hardscaping, uses durable, non-living materials like stone, concrete, and wood to create structures, pathways, retaining walls, decks, pergolas and patios. Soft landscaping, or softscaping, focuses on living elements like plants, trees, shrubs, mulch, topsoil and flowers to add beauty, texture and ecological value.

A well-landscaped home and property usually has a significant price advantage over a home with no landscaping or minimal landscaping. The advantage range depends on the type of landscaping and the home’s original value. There’s more to landscaping than planting some seasonal flowers and a few shrubs in the ground, however. The number one thing that buyers are attracted to in landscaping is a balanced, purposeful design. Close behind is plant size and maturity and attractive usable grassed areas. A lesser factor, but one still worth considering, is the diversity of plant and tree life within the landscaping design.

Furthermore, a well designed and integrated landscaped entry area, particularly on acreages and larger city lots, helps create that special ‘street appeal’ and entry appeal that helps set up a positive attitude towards a property and sets the tone on entering the home. This is particularly important when selling and trying to capture buyer interest.

Planning the Landscaping
The biggest landscaping mistake that homeowners make is not having a coherent plan. They decide to put a few small trees in, and then a few years later add some flower beds, and then maybe put in some shrubs and another tree or two. A landscape that’s assembled piecemeal can look disorganized and scarce looking, and that can turn buyers off. Come up with a plan before you do any landscaping or if working with existing landscaping on a property purchased. Even if you don’t have – or won’t spend the money to hire a landscape designer, which is a good idea in my opinion, at least draw up a master plan for your yard and property and try to stick to the design plan. Even an amateur can get a professional-looking landscape for a minimal outlay for materials if he or she is willing to do the work. Look at yards and properties you like and gather ideas and take the time to layout ideas on a drawing before spending money on a ‘piece meal’ approach. Search the internet for ideas as well and look at sample landscape layouts in magazines or online. Many designers place samples on line to attract potential customers.

Mature Gardens Add the Most Value
A landscape full of large, mature plants with variety and balance is obviously one that has been carefully tended to over the years, and that sends a signal to buyers. That’s a good indication that they’ve taken care of the inside of the house as well, which is appealing to home buyers. Do not let your grounds be overtaken with out-of-control weeds & long grass areas or dead trees or shrubs. Of course, pastures if you have horses, and natural tree growth areas are exceptions. Also, protect any patios of interlocking stones becoming unattractive with crevices overcome with weeds which often happens with that type of design. These areas also constitute part of your overall landscaping. Driveways bordered by mature trees create excitement and expectation so consider lining your driveway with trees to create that feeling of anticipation.

Landscaping Tips for All Budgets
Having a long-term landscaping plan is great if you’re in the house for the long term. If you plan to sell within a year or so, you can take several immediate steps to dress up your landscape and boost your selling price. For example, cutting fresh edges around your planting beds; having a sharp, well-defined edge between grass and mulch or dirt gives the landscape a professional look. Also begin regular fertilizer treatments on your lawn; you want potential buyers to see a lush carpet, not a patchwork quilt. And add splashes of color with flowers; pick up some colorful annuals and be willing to invest a few hundred dollars in larger perennials and shrubs, so that your yard doesn’t look as if you just started working on it – even if you did. Using pot plants also helps with landscaping to provide focus areas as you wait for planted flowers to develop. And for sure use mulch generously to tidy up beds and place under trees and feature areas. Mulch quickly improves the look of any garden.

Most of all make sure your property is tidy, that weeds are kept under control, trim bushes and get rid of dead branches. Seed bare ground areas around the home or sod as well as tidy up all shrubbery close to the home so that windows are not blocked.

I would like to state in closing that if one puts disproportionate amounts of money into property landscaping there is a point at which one will likely not realize its full return. I have visited some properties that have put well over $150K to $200K into extensive landscaping but it is likely the owner will not see that same amount as return as buyers still place most value on the home itself, land size and location.