Your home landscaping is very influential to your home’s appeal and value. How homeowners style their yard impacts their homes’ curb appeal and its desirability to buyers overall. Experts agree and the data shows that landscaping upgrades increase home values. We’re not talking about small increases, either, but returns that range from 50 to 200%! If you’re considering listing your home for sale but want to improve it and add to its value, assess your property from the outside in. Here are six top tips for leveraging your home’s landscaping to increase its value.
Six landscaping tips to increase home value
1. Remove dead or invasive plants, trees, and bushes
Learn about the species that are most invasive in your area. Do you have any of them on your property? Now is the time to uproot weeds, fast-growing bamboo, and dead trees. You may need to hire a professional to remove dead trees (especially those exceptionally tall and hazardous to your home).
2. Reshape existing landscaping to frame your home
Now you’ve cleared the yard of dead plants and invasive species! Of the plants and flora that remain, how do they add or detract from the look of your home? Are your pathways fully accessible or hindered by your existing landscaping? In addition to the walkways and driveways, make sure your mailbox and street numbers are viewable. Shape your landscaping in a way that compliments your home instead of overwhelms it. Reshape bordering plants and bushes, so they fall below the railings on porches, doors, and stairways. Ensure all paths are pruned and clear and don’t forget to trim the lawn!
3. Add low-maintenance perennials
The popular plants to incorporate into home landscaping designs vary by region. Here’s a breakdown of the tried-and-true, well-loved low maintenance flora for each part of the US:
North and northeast: Sage, day lilies, maple, tulips, daffodils, roses, hydrangea, rhododendron, evergreens
South: Azalea, magnolia, lilies, succulents, mosses, honeysuckle, dogwood, maple, evergreens, crepe myrtle
Southwest: Agave, prickly pear, primrose, salvia, blue palo verde, Texas ebony, desert willow
West: Crepe myrtle, Sun Valley maple, weeping cherry tree, sage, grape vines
4. Enhance walkways with path lighting
Light up your home’s exterior and curb appeal with well-placed outdoor light fixtures along paths and doorways. You’ll enhance the ambiance of your home by illuminating your front yard and landscaped features. Options range from self-powering solar lamps to LED porch and outdoor fixtures. If you want to add bells and whistles, look for ones with motion sensors and pretty shadow designs.
5. Create a “green privacy screen”
Privacy is a feature that homebuyers want in their future property. And what’s better than a freshly installed wooden fence? A serene, green privacy screen with natural shapes. Green privacy fences create natural barriers that add to the beauty of your home’s landscape design. Depending on where you live, certain plants are better than others. In almost every region, evergreen shrubs, bushes, and trees can make a year-round natural barrier that’s attractive and easy to maintain. Climbing species such as climbing roses and clematis are fast-growing, appealing, and thrive in Southern states. Do some research or consult with the home improvement experts at Curbio to determine the ideal plants for a green privacy screen in your yard.
6. Refresh your porch and entryways
There’s nothing like fresh paint to enhance a home’s curb appeal. Take a look at your front porch, doorways, and garage doors. Do you like the color? Is there a hue that could further complement the overall aesthetic of your home? Opt for something bold but not too loud if you are considering a new color. Stay within your current palette to best accentuate existing features. Whether updating the color scheme or keeping it the same, fresh paint will make your home’s exterior look clean, fresh, and new. You may also consider power washing the porches, walkways, and driveways leading to your house.