The Benefits of Landscaping When Selling a Home

When it comes to selling a home, potential buyers form their first impression of a home from its appeal. A big part of giving a home an attractive look involves landscaping. Studies show that a landscape improvement would return 100 percent of the investment, while a kitchen renovation would generally be more expensive, but would recover only 67 percent of its cost. In my experience, landscaping is very important for new buyers, but the condition of the home and available improvements can have a greater impact on prospective buyers enough to make them fall in love with the home. A beautiful landscaped front yard can be the determining factor for a quick sale of your house. Landscaping can add tens of thousands of dollars to your property value and is one of the few home improvements you can do that not only adds value right away but also increases in value over the years. Appeal matters to 98 percent of buyers when choosing their home, according to the National Association of Realtors Remodeling Impact Report. In most cases, your new landscape will require a certain amount of maintenance to make it look flawless while on the market. While it may not be necessary to completely reimagine front or back yard spaces, there are certainly benefits to consulting with a landscape designer right from the start before your home goes on the market. Inman just shared that landscaping can add up to 28% to the value of a home and reduce the time a home spends on the market by 10 to 15. Getting potential buyers to stop the car right in front of your house is always an advantage. Landscaping in the backyard will enhance the exterior appearance and offer the impression of a well-kept property. A landscape full of large, mature plants is obviously one that has been carefully cared for over the years, and that sends a signal to buyers. Part of the reason that the potential value of a renovated landscape is that great landscaping makes a property more desirable. Good landscape design can add up to 20 percent to your home's value, so it's not surprising that poor exterior choices can have the opposite effect. Even if you don't have, or aren't going to spend, the money to hire a landscape designer, at least come up with a master plan for your garden and stick to it. One estimate found that sellers could be considering a 5% reduction in sales value if a garden has artificial grass. When your landscape has the wow factor, it's sure to attract more views, more projections, and ultimately, more offers.