The Value of Landscaping

When Americans want to enhance their homes, they focus on the outdoors. In a recent Gallup research project, homebuyers revealed they think landscaping adds 14.87 percent to a home’s selling price.

In another survey, Money magazine reported that landscaping as a home-improvement project has a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent if it is well done and harmonizes with nearby foliage. Real estate agents agree. Ninety-five percent of the members of the Society of Real Estate Appraisers concur that landscaping adds to the dollar value of real estate, while 99 percent said that landscaping enhances property’s “sales appeal,” increasing the actual speed of the sale.

Those trees in your yard provide more than just shade. According to a recent study by the U.S. Forest Service, trees can increase a home’s value by three to seven percent. Meanwhile, poor landscape design can actually decrease property values by up to 10-percent according to a 1994 study published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture.

Homes with “excellent” landscaping can expect a sale price about 6 to 7 percent higher than equivalent houses with “good” landscaping, while improving landscaping from “average” to “good” can result in a 4 to 5 percent increase.