How Landscaping Can Increase or Decrease Your Property Value

Home improvement isn’t the only place where an investment can pay off in the long run; making improvements to your yard or landscaping will ultimately increase your property value.

Whether or not you plan to sell your home now or in the future, increasing the value now will be beneficial later. Here’s how landscaping increases (and decreases) your property value.

What Landscaping Features Increase Property Value?

According to the National Association of Realtors, lawn care services yield the highest return on investment — 267% on your investment to be precise. But which features should you focus on?

Here’s where you can prioritize your efforts on your lawn:

• Irrigation system: Even in Maine, we deal with irrigation issues in certain areas. Whether your lawn has too much moisture — or not enough – an irrigation system could not only benefit your lawn, it could benefit a future property sale.
  
• Outdoor living space: A small investment now to create a beautiful deck or patio will help increase your property value later. Buyers love this outdoor feature and it’s been known to raise value by over 12%!
  
• Professional landscape design: It’s no surprise that a home with a beautiful, well-tended, and pruned lawn and garden would be more attractive for buyers than an overgrown one, but what about taking it to the next level? Bringing in professional help to design your landscaping can dramatically increase your curb appeal.
  
• Tidy, well-maintained lawn and garden: There’s a huge difference in the way an overgrown lawn compares to a clean cut one. Simple upkeep now will speak volumes for your property in the future.
  
• Water feature: A small, easy-to-care-for water element could be the show-stopping feature that will help your property stand out from others. The bonus? It doesn’t need to be a pool (see below for more about a pool’s return on investment).

Can Landscaping Decrease Your Property Value?

Landscaping investments are almost always a good choice, but if there are forgotten areas – or investment in landscaping choices that are too unique — your landscaping choices will actually decrease your property value. 

In fact, according to a study by the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, a poor landscaping investment can decrease your home’s value by 10% or more.

Here are a few areas you’ll need to consider:

• Custom features: Areas like custom or built-ins are great; but those that are too unique can be an issue for future buyers. Features like outdoor pizza ovens or a custom fountain might be too personal for a wide audience to enjoy. What’s worse: you may not see a return on your investment.
  
• Erosion or poor drainage: Any type of major issue in your yard like dangerous sloping hills, visible erosion, or standing water caused by poor drainage can be problematic for resale value. It’s best to prioritize fixing these right away.
  
• Pool: While many buyers will love having a pool in the backyard, an inground pool doesn’t actually give you the best bang for your buck. It may increase the value slightly, but you’ll likely not get your full investment back.
  
• Rotting or forgotten structures: If any outdoor structures — wooden decks, steps, or even a treehouse — are in disrepair or dangerous to use, it’s going to be a concern for any potential homebuyer. Before making landscaping investments, get these structures fixed.

• Weeds or overgrowth: There’s nothing that ruins curb appeal faster than an overgrown yard or garden with plenty of weeds throughout. If this is a problem on your property, prioritize getting weeds under control and getting plants, shrubs, and trees nicely pruned.
  

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Landscaping investments are well worth it, but watch out for those that could potentially decrease your property value.

For help in the greater Buxton, Maine area with landscaping that will increase your property’s value, contact us at Prime Cut Landscaping & Lawn Care today!