Adding Value to a Home (real estate, how much, new house)

[Beachcomber4]

How much does professional landscaping add to the value of a home?

I've read conflicting reports. Some say zero, some say if you spend up to 30% of a home's value, you will recoup 75% to 100% of the cost at time of sale. Anyone know of a hard and fast rule?

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

How much does professional landscaping add to the value of a home?

I've read conflicting reports. Some say zero, some say if you spend up to 30% of a home's value, you will recoup 75% to 100% of the cost at time of sale. Anyone know of a hard and fast rule?

30%??? That's crazy high. Sure, some landscaping will help curb appeal but 30% is nuts. There's no way that you could spend, say, $150K on landscaping a $500K house and get that money back.

Get a professional lawn outfit to fertilize your grass (to get it a rich green color), treat any bald grass spots, trim back overgrown trees/shrubs, freshen up beds with new mulch and plants, and fix any big cracks/problems in walkways. This will cost you a few hundred to a couple of thousand, depending in your area, yard size, and condition. The key is a clean, tidy, well-maintained look. Any big expenses/improvements beyond this would be of dubious value, IMHO.

[brightdoglover]

I think HGTV has convinced people that they can actually get dollar-for-dollar back in improvements, or even more than the actual cost. I believe only HGTV holds this view. Most things I've read say that you can expect a percentage (depending on what the improvement is) but never actually increases the value.
I concur with the previous poster who suggests a perking up rather than a full court press.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by professorsenator

30%??? That's crazy high. Sure, some landscaping will help curb appeal but 30% is nuts. There's no way that you could spend, say, $150K on landscaping a $500K house and get that money back.

Get a professional lawn outfit to fertilize your grass (to get it a rich green color), treat any bald grass spots, trim back overgrown trees/shrubs, freshen up beds with new mulch and plants, and fix any big cracks/problems in walkways. This will cost you a few hundred to a couple of thousand, depending in your area, yard size, and condition. The key is a clean, tidy, well-maintained look. Any big expenses/improvements beyond this would be of dubious value, IMHO.

I agree 30% seems high. But I think much depends on the value of the house. Neat and tidy work for some homes but I think for others, there needs to be more of a "wow" factor that plays up architectural features and downplays less desirable details of a home. To me there is nothing worse than a landscape that is not in scale or in keeping with the overall aesthetic of the house. For us, gardening is something we enjoy very much and as such, I consider some investments part of my vice rather than a home improvement.

We recently had a large tract of land cleared of overgrowth and are in the process of building beds and putting in lawn along with natural barrier areas. We have been looking at hardscape options, decorative fences, deck rails, and light poles and are trying to come up with a cohesive, finished look without overimproving and want to be able to realize an adequate return on our investment.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

I think HGTV has convinced people that they can actually get dollar-for-dollar back in improvements, or even more than the actual cost. I believe only HGTV holds this view. Most things I've read say that you can expect a percentage (depending on what the improvement is) but never actually increases the value.
I concur with the previous poster who suggests a perking up rather than a full court press.

I do believe you can get back more than cost- if you do it yourself. I did experience that with our first home but it was a house that was considered a "step up" house by the realtor but not a huge step. I had comps in the area so I knew how far to go. I'm in a different type of house in a neighborhood where there are huge discrepancies in pricing so as such, I am stumped.

[clevedark]

I don't believe you earn much on landscaping per se--but it all depends on what kind of project you do. At the very least it will increase your curb appeal.

I have landscaped four houses and have never really found that it increased my selling price at all. What I have found is that in general people have zero taste and don't know the difference between a beautifully landscaped garden and a piece of garbage.

If you're thinking of landscaping to increase curb appeal and salability, stick to foundation plantings, sprucing up near the entrances, and planting to hide ugly views, or to give the illusion of privacy in your backyard.

I would do the absolute least possible if you're planning on selling because you will never make the money back.

Also, if you made money on landscaping on your first home, it might have been because of the market and not the landscaping.

Good luck!

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by clevedark

I don't believe you earn much on landscaping per se--but it all depends on what kind of project you do. At the very least it will increase your curb appeal.

I have landscaped four houses and have never really found that it increased my selling price at all. What I have found is that in general people have zero taste and don't know the difference between a beautifully landscaped garden and a piece of garbage.

If you're thinking of landscaping to increase curb appeal and salability, stick to foundation plantings, sprucing up near the entrances, and planting to hide ugly views, or to give the illusion of privacy in your backyard.

I would do the absolute least possible if you're planning on selling because you will never make the money back.

Also, if you made money on landscaping on your first home, it might have been because of the market and not the landscaping.

Good luck!

Hmmm interesting opinions. We put our house on the market in spring of 2008 and were told to expect a year to sell. We sold it in a week. The buyer hadn't even gone into the house, he saw some stonework and a deck in the backyard and told our RE agent "you showed me this first on purpose." LOL I guess it's a "guy thing". So yes, I do agree with the saleability and curb appeal aspect. The house sold for a great deal more than we bought it for but did we get back the tens of thousands the projects cost? I'm not sure. I never real asked myself that question. I was happy to sell for close to asking price and capitalize on a bargain in a buyer's market.

Resale is not imminent. We are enjoying our new house as a home and not so much a project. We want to enjoy it and our kids high school years. I'll think of it this way: the landscape will make a nice back drop for prom and graduation day pictures. It was totally rehabbed when we bought it but we still saw room for improvement and a great opportunity in a bad market. Our plan to sell is "down the road"- I can hear and smell the ocean but in the next house, I want to see it.

Thanks for all the insights.

[ThinkingThinking]

I'd say that it helps and doesn't hurt, but personally Id go for more tangible things like improved kitchens and bathrooms. If you have the money, spruce up the yard of course, but a nice bath or kitchen goes a lot farther.

[blehman]

This may help;

10 Ways To Increase The Value Of Your Home - Yahoo! Real Estate

[Valerie C]

While there are no hard and fast rules, professional landscaping, particularly hardscaping (block walls, patios, lighting) will add quite a bit of value to the property, but spending 30% of the homes value? That number seems WAY high.

If you are bringing the house's curb appeal up the par with the rest of the neighborhood, possibly. But you don't want to be the 'best dressed' house in the area, and there's a certain point that you don't want to pass. If your house is a 1962 split in a neighborhood of colonials, all the landscaping in the world isn't going to increase your value beyond a certain point...

Landscape to your personal taste and budget, and hardscape to what you will actually use and enjoy. We had our front entry hardscaped (walls & stairs) and 2 years later, I still love it every time I turn into the driveway, and planning to add front and back patio next year... Outdoor kitchen/fireplaces are all the rage right now, but if you won't be utilizing it often, it's a waste of $$ that you may or may not recoup. Have fun--done right, landscaping is something that not only doesn't go out of style, but actually looks better as it matures (unlike a kitchen or bath remodel...)

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

How much does professional landscaping add to the value of a home?

I've read conflicting reports. Some say zero, some say if you spend up to 30% of a home's value, you will recoup 75% to 100% of the cost at time of sale. Anyone know of a hard and fast rule?