First impressions are key when buying or selling a home. Upon first seeing a home, the first impression for home buyers is from your landscape! It is key to have an outstanding, clean landscape, to garner more attention when selling the home.
It’s important to understand the benefits of landscape enhancements, yes, however, not all enhancements bring a return on investment as others may. Consider these numbers from the 2018 Modeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features by the National Association of Realtors: Some changes will boost your home values while others will decrease it, so let’s dig into the details…
DO: Maintain the Lawn – This is the most important on this list, this returns your investment nearly 3 times!
DON’T: Artificial Turf replacement of grass –While artificial turf is wonderful for low maintenance needs, it does not appeal to all buyers, especially those with children and pets.
DO: Mature Shrubs & Trees – Mature plants can provide an abundance of shade, privacy, and blooms. These can boost your home’s value by 15%!
DON’T: Outdoor Water Features – Water features require high maintenance and while the birds love a good bird bath, buyers can be weary of the upkeep.
DO: Tidy up the Garden – Seeing weeds in the yard isn’t just a big red flag, but can also have buyers thinking the landscape is high maintenance. Keep weeds and debris free from beds to keep buyers intrigued with the landscape.
DON’T: Overgrown Garden Beds – Lets prevent having buyers first thoughts of the home be ‘WOW! These beds must be hard to maintain!’
DO: Dress up your Pathways – Stone, Pebbles, and potted plants are all great ways to dress up your front pathways and have a buyer admire the character in your home.
DON’T: Broken fence planks – These are an eyesore and a sign of little upkeep around the home. Be sure to replace all fence planks prior to listing your home.
DO: Fresh Mulch – Pile it on thick and keep it complimentary of your current plants. Mulch has a high return rate on investment when selling a home!
DON’T: Fruit Trees – White fruiting trees are wonderful as a food source, they do require upkeep and additional hours in the yard, which does not appeal to all buyers.
As you can see, there are tons of landscape enhancement options out there – but they’re not all created equal! Let Leapfrog Landcare take your lawn and landscape to the next level with custom landscaping and lawn care. We can help enhance your home and return the investment with the sell of your home. Ready for your lawn to be the envy of the neighborhood? Contact us today for a free quote!
