Watch your home’s value grow alongside the trees in your yard
Curb appeal can increase your home value by 7%.
Buyers are increasingly prioritizing outdoor living spaces.
An attractive lawn has the biggest ROI at 217%.
Trees can add $1,000 to $10,000 to your home value.
Simple landscape maintenance tasks usually pay for themselves.
Amidst the current housing market’s landscape, you might be asking yourself, “Does landscaping increase home value?” It’s no secret that the real estate market has boomed in recent years, and though a kitchen or bathroom remodel can undeniably boost property value, some of the best renovations for resale happen outside the home. Check out these seven landscape design ideas to improve your home value and curb appeal.
Yes, landscaping can increase home value by 10% to 30%. When done right, certain hardscaping and softscaping can add to a home’s value and make it more attractive to potential buyers. Whether you tackle these projects on your own or hire a landscaper near you, take a closer look at what specific landscaping projects can add some zeros to the value of your home.
Before you move forward with a landscaping project, it’s a good idea to keep these factors in mind.
Not all landscaping designs are created equal. You can choose a simple design or opt for something more sophisticated with multiple beds and extra features. In general, the more intricate the design, the higher the value of the project. This is particularly true if it’s a universal design that the average person would appreciate.
There’s a difference between professional landscaping and a DIY design. If you invest in a landscape designer or architect who does an excellent job, you can expect a higher return on investment (ROI) than if you do it yourself, especially if you have limited experience. The materials and plants you choose can also make or break your quality, so it’s important to be mindful of what you choose.
At the end of the day, most homeowners prefer a beautiful, low-maintenance design. To ensure your landscaping is easy to maintain, pick native shrubs, trees, and other plants. In most cases, these options don't need to be mowed, fertilized, and watered very often. While turf is another maintenance-free option, it does come with a higher price tag.
A little landscape maintenance goes a long way. Even simple landscaping ideas like replacing faded mulch, pruning shrubs, removing dead vegetation, and weeding can drastically impact curb appeal and increase your home’s value by up to 7%.
Most homeowners spend around $1,300 to $6,000 on landscaping costs. It can seem like a lot up front, but it’s usually an investment worth making. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average homeowner can expect a 104% ROI on landscape maintenance.
Potential buyers really do care if the grass is greener on the other side of the property line. Grass can wear down over time, especially if it’s not properly maintained. The good news is that lawn maintenance usually pays for itself—and then some.
The cost of maintaining a lawn is typically around $140 per project (think mowing, trimming, pesticide treatment, aeration, and fertilization). Reseeding prices will run you a little bit more at an average of $400 to $1,600, but it’s usually money well spent. According to NAR, homeowners can expect a 217% ROI on a healthy, green lawn.
Your front yard is a potential buyer’s first impression. It’s not surprising that the way it looks can make or break a sale. As it goes, if the outside isn’t attractive, what’s the inside like? Luckily, it doesn’t take much to level up your walkway landscaping.
Walkways made from natural flagstone are affordably priced (at around $2 to $6 per square foot) and can provide a 100% ROI when paired with landscaping elements like mulch, flowers, and decorative planters. A hardscaper can help you create a design that will boost your home value, but landscape curbing costs can add up and you’ll always see a bigger return if you can do the same job DIY.
Looking for a simple way to upgrade your landscaping? Plant a tree. According to the Council of Tree and Landscaping Appraisers, a mature tree increases your property value by $1,000 to $10,000—but that’s not all. It can help you save before it’s even listed on the real estate market. With strategic placement, trees reduce the need for heating. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, carefully placed trees can save homeowners money by reducing up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses. Plus, it might appeal to buyers by increasing privacy in your yard.
Since it takes years for a tree to mature, it’s better to plant one sooner than later. You may even want to hire a local tree trimming service to make sure your tree fits into your landscape design as it grows. The cost to plant a tree sits between $150 and $300, on average.
Landscape lighting is the perfect marriage of form and function. When it’s done right, it adds curb appeal and helps create an outdoor space you can safely utilize after dark. Plus, there is a range of options, from complex landscape designs installed by professional outdoor lighting companies near you to DIY solar lighting you can easily stake right into your walkway.
According to NAR, landscape lighting can add around $2,500 to your home value. On average, you’ll see a 59% ROI, but it really depends on the type of lighting and the cost. LED lights tend to come with the biggest rewards.
Around 2020, real estate agents saw an increase in demand for outdoor living spaces. While building a full-on outdoor kitchen may be out of the landscaping budget for some homeowners, a firepit is an affordable way to boost property value by creating a similar outdoor space.
The typical cost to build a firepit is around $300 to $1,400, and it comes with an average ROI of 56%. Many homeowners choose to splurge on a landscape designer to help them create the ideal space, but you can stretch the ROI well past 80% by going the DIY route and using inexpensive materials. And if you’re open to the DIY route, you might save on other hardscaping costs by doing other hardscaping projects on your own.
Most people think of landscaping as garden design. Flowers and shrubs are sure-fire ways to increase curb appeal, but decks and patios can actually play a huge role in attracting potential buyers. The cost to build a deck ranges from $4,100 to $11,200, and most homeowners end up recovering about 89% of the expense when they sell. Similarly, the average homeowner pays about $3,500 for patio costs, but NAR estimates homeowners recover about 95% of the expenses.
| Landscaping Projects | Return on Investment (ROI) |
|---|---|
| Building a deck or patio | 89% |
| Landscape lighting | 59% |
| Upgrading a front walkway | 100% |
| Healthy lawn | 217% |
While certain landscaping projects may seem like a good idea at the moment, they don’t always translate well to potential buyers when you want to sell your home. Whether it be the required maintenance of a project or a too-niche design, these projects have the potential to decrease your home’s value.
While artificial grass may be low maintenance, it’s not always the most appealing to buyers. The prospect of its eventual replacement—which costs around $2 to $8 per square foot—is daunting. Many buyers enjoy natural grass and would rather avoid having to replace turf. This landscaping choice, in turn, may deter buyers from wanting to put an offer on your home.
While it’s nice to have your home reflect who you are, inconsistent, niche designs are not the best for curb appeal. An inconsistent design may come about from landscaping your yard piece by piece without a full scope of the project in mind beforehand. In terms of being too niche, personal touches may be too personal to an outsider’s eye, leaving them confused and put off by the home.
Seasonal plants look lovely during their prime season, but what if your house doesn’t sell until there’s nothing but dirt left over? The look of fresh plants helps improve curb appeal and is more inviting for homebuyers. By opting for plants that have a short life span, you might be discouraging buyers.
Concrete is a useful landscaping material, but if you overdo it, your yard might come out looking a little industrial. Homebuyers want to picture their future home, and an influx of concrete landscaping is not the most inviting.
Koi ponds might be beautiful to look at, but they do require maintenance. Oftentimes, homebuyers aren’t interested in signing up for maintaining a clean pond full of fish, which costs an average of $2,000 per year. This might discourage them from purchasing your home.
There are a few different landscaping projects that can help reduce landscaping costs overall. For one, you can plant everything from seed and watch your yard grow rather than purchasing plants. You can also repurpose old materials from other home projects and do the bulk of your landscaping by yourself instead of hiring a professional to cut down labor costs.
Yes, if your home is poorly maintained and has weeds and overgrowth, it can affect your home appraisal and lower the value. Home buyers want to see a well-kept home, and if yours lacks curb appeal whether inundated by weeds or not, you could be neglecting the potential for it to reach its full value.
A well-maintained lawn has the most ROI when it comes to landscaping. Other enhancements, such as building a deck or patio and adding a front walkway, follow suit, but aiming to enhance the basics is where your home can truly shine and increase its profitability. Not only does it increase curb appeal, but it sets potential homebuyers up for landscaping success when they have a healthy, clean slate of grass to begin with.
