Zillow Advice: Yards & Gardens - How much does professional landscaping add to a home's value?

My husband is a landscape ...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:11:00 GMT

My husband is a landscape architect. There are many people who spend on landscape what most people would spend on buying their home. The greatest return on landscape is not to spend more that 30% of your home's value (so $100,000 house then landscape under $30,000). Also the landscape has the greatest return after 5 years of growth- so people who plant right before they put the house on the market are not getting the full potiential. You should expect a 75-100% return on landscaping that is done professionally and has had 5 years or more to grow.

The answer is dependent on ...

Thu, 07 May 2009 01:09:00 GMT

The answer is dependent on a lot of variables.

We have some foreclosure homes where everything has been allowed to grow wild for months, where a simple $1500.00 landscape job has increased the curb appeal and appraisal value almost 15%!

$5K is alot to spend on trees and landscaping, so you need to enter wisely. Get more than one designer to create a plan for your home. Weigh your options, and compare the cost. Also take in to account the maintenance aspect. Will it cause more yard work for you as it matures?

Landscaping is always a value-adder if in moderation. I would get at least 3 quotes from reputable, licensed and insured contractors.

Happy Gardening!

Ryan

5k seems a little high but ...

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:07:00 GMT

5k seems a little high but of course it all depends. What kind of trees? What kind of soil. Irrigation install? What the neighborhood is like Etc...
30% of the homes value is ridiculously high, no offense. Might be appropriate if you have a tuscan manor sitting on five acres. If you have a 100k house on a 5k square foot lot I don't think so. Everything has to be proportional. You don't put gold faucets in your double wide.

I definitely agree that good landscaping can dramatically increase value in proportion to the amount spent. Get the lawn green. Trim the trees and shrubs back so you can see the home. Get some flowers and color out front to make it happy and inviting. Those are the basics.

The trick of landscaping is time, as mentioned above. Getting a wisteria to bloom or an elm to grow can't be hurried. That's where the value is. As in all things planning with the end in mind is key.

If a potential buyer ...

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:12:00 GMT

If a potential buyer is looking at two houses of comparable value (in the same area), the one with the best landscaping will win! Not only does well designed and well executed landscaping make a house "shine", a buyer knows it means less "work" for them after moving in.
Read Landscape Architect on Build Your Own House.

Maybe in neighborhoods where ...

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Maybe in neighborhoods where the builder offered landscape packages&put in builder grade plants. Anytime you work with a "professional" landscape company, they will give you a design of what they propose and a plant list. You should also get a plant warranty. You can also request where they get their plants, most luckily a nursery where they can be hand picked. So it is not the same quality as Lowes or Home depot. My husband gets the best plants & actual takes his clients to his growers to hand select their plant choices.

Many professional landscaping ...

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:40:00 GMT

Many professional landscaping jobs will make your house look even more like all of the other houses on the block. They install irrigation, slap in a lawn, and often will plant trees and shrubs that are not appropriate for the location.

Just to give you some perspective, ...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:26:00 GMT

Just to give you some perspective, we have spent over $100,000 on our landscape and are told it will be one of the strongest selling features of our home by agents&appraisers. When we invite new friends over & tell them where we live- they always say "oh the better homes & gardens house." Buyers will do drive bys and if the home does not have curb appeal they will not even sto to see how great the inside is.

About how much is your house ...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:08:00 GMT

About how much is your house worth? You want to make sure the landscaping isn't more ritzy than the house. Maybe you could do the landscaping in stages to save money.

Are you replacing landscaping ...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Are you replacing landscaping or starting from scratch? The outside of a house can help with the appeal to get buyers inside so if it is not landscaped now, then it will benefit. Will it give back a dollar for dollar benefit for selling the house? It is hard to tell.

I read somewhere that landscaping ...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:07:00 GMT

I read somewhere that landscaping upped your value by about 10%. That number may be from the landscaping industry, but I do think it improves value and makes houses sell faster. It makes homes seem more inviting and polished if done well.