How Landscaping can Increase a Home’s Value

If you are considering an investment into landscaping your yard, how do you know that you will be able to recapture the financial investment on a sale? Landscaping is often times not considered as being a significant home improvement project unlike redoing a kitchen. However, a landscaping project can have a return on investment much higher than you may have imagined.

A recent report from Virginia Tech states that landscaping is valued at approximately 15% of the home’s total value. An in-depth breakdown of landscaping including how much certain elements are valued is as follows:

Design: 42%
Plant size: 36%
Plant selection: 22%

The report indicates that a home valued at $150,000 could potentially go from $8,300 in worth to nearly $19,000 with the addition of landscaping. Here are further details about these elements and how you can increase the value of your home.

Landscape Design
The way you lay out your yard plays a very important role. For example, if you plant shrubs, trees and flowers without a strategy for design then you may have potential maintenance issues down the road. Hiring a professional landscaper is a wise idea as they have the knowledge of plants that mix well together, which will be best for different locations and which will be less troublesome.

Plant Size
Selecting different plant sizes will add an appealing look to your yard visually. A variety of shapes, sizes and colors can certainly enhance the look. Different plants will also help reduce the clutter in your yard. For example, too many busy plants will cause for more maintenance in the way of trimming and potential root and branch problems.

Diverse Plants
A variety of plants will add color and offer a more interesting appearance. Fruit trees, shrubs with flowers as well as annual and perennial flowers will have your yard looking great. Annuals will often need to be replaced every year, however this provides you with the opportunity to swap out the color and look. Perennials can last several years and can typically endure a cooler winter.

Conclusion
If you hire a professional or do the work yourself, consider adding in these elements. They will provide you with a solid return with a better resale value while providing great curb appeal to prospective buyers.