Landscaping to Increase Your Home’s Value

Many homeowners are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase home value, especially when it’s nearly time to list it on the market. If you’ve already thought about renovating the kitchen, tearing down living room walls and adding a Jacuzzi to the master bath, it’s time to think outside the home and consider the garden. Landscaping has a surprising impact on your home’s value. It all comes down to making a good first impression with improved curb appeal.

Landscaping Increases the Value of Your Home

Your front yard is the first thing potential buyers see when they pull up in front of your house. It can instantly make them smile or cringe. That’s why homeowners associations have such strict rules about home exteriors.

According to landscape economist John Harris, beautiful landscaping can contribute to 28% of your home’s overall value. A Clemson University study found that even upgrading your yard from “passing” to “exceptional” can increase your home’s value 6% to 7%.

It’s important to realize that landscaping isn’t an effective house flipping method. You should landscape for the pleasure a beautiful yard provides, all the while knowing you’re making a good investment.

Landscaping Trends to Increase Home Value

With so many options out there to landscape a beautiful yard, how do you know which decisions will increase your home’s value the most? By following these landscaping trends, you’re sure to get the biggest bang for your buck:

• Add mulch or gravel: Whether around the base of trees or in a flowerbed, mulch and gravel are much more appealing than bare dirt. They also serve practical purposes, including preventing weeds and slowing evaporation to save water.
• Spruce up your porch with containers: You can decorate the entrance to your home in endless ways with container plants. Keep sun exposure in mind as you choose which plants to use.
• Prune your trees and shrubs: Overgrown plants tend to make your home look rundown. Annual pruning can make a huge difference in how well kempt your yard looks.
• Install a water feature: The relaxing sound of a fountain or waterfall is a sure way to draw in potential buyers as they make their way up your front steps. If you already have a water feature, keep it clean and free of algae at all times to prevent it from being a turnoff.
• Add height and texture: There’s nothing more boring than a flat bed of identical flowers. Be daring and add tall bushes, sprawling vines and small evergreen trees for varying heights and textures. A landscape designer can help you with plant pairings and placement.
• Incorporate lots of color: If your landscape consists of nothing more than grass with a bush here and a tree there, your front yard won’t stand out at all. Try adding a couple of bold, beautiful Salvia bushes for purple blossoms in the summer and euonymus alatus, also known as a burning bush, for gorgeous red foliage in the fall.
• Plant a mix of perennials and annuals: Redoing your landscape takes a lot of work. You don’t want to put in this much effort every year, so plant plenty of perennials to act as a backdrop. These plants return every year on their own. Then you can supplement by planting brightly colored annuals every spring to really make your landscape pop.

If you need help landscaping to increase your home’s value, please contact The Grounds Guys® today. Our services include designing landscapes, removing plant debris, planting flowers, fertilizing gardens and much more.