Can Landscaping Add Value?

Like it’s my fault that most people like stupid flowers more than an

Elvis shrine.

If you had listened to me, we would have

landscaped it when we first moved in!

Ed Bemis, MCH

Quality Landscaping Can Add Value

By Bridget Behe, Ph.D., Michigan State University,& Charles Hall, Ph.D., Texas A & MWith assistance from Sue Barton (University of Delaware),

John Brooker (University of Tennessee), Roger Hinson (Louisiana State University) and Charles Safley (North Carolina State University)

The house:

• A two-story, newly built suburban home was photographed and used as the test home. It was a 4-bedroom, 2-1/2 bathroom two-story structure located on a half-acre lot

• Three components of landscape design were examined for their influence on perceived home value

• Design sophistication1. Foundation planting only2. Foundation planting with one large, oblong

island planting and one or two single specimen or shade trees in the lawn

3. A foundation planting with adjoining beds and two or three large island plantings, all incorporating curved bed lines

• Three components of landscape design were examined for their influence on perceived home value

• Design sophistication• Plant size

1. Large plants2. Medium plants3. Small plants

• Three components of landscape design were examined for their influence on perceived home value

• Design sophistication• Plant size• Diversity of plant material

1. Evergreen only2. Evergreen & flowering shrubs3. Evergreen & flowering shrubs with 20% of visual

area of landscape beds planted in annual or perennial color

4. Evergreen & flowering shrubs, 20% annual or perennial color and addition of a colored brick sidewalk

Who was interviewed?

• 1100 in-person interviews• Subjects spent 2-10 hours per week

in yard with 5-6 being typical• They had annual gardening

expenditures of $450 to $2400

What did they look at?

• 16 different design plans (as viewed from the street) by a practicing landscape architect

What did they say?•In all markets, consumers preferred the largest, most sophisticated and colorful landscape design. •This consisted of a foundation planting with adjoining beds and two or three large island plantings, all incorporating curved bed lines. •This increased perceived home values by an average of 1.8%.

Take Home Message #1

• Design sophistication was the most important landscape factor

• It accounted for 42% of the value added to the home

• Just adding one or two island beds (increasing design sophistication) can add 2% to perceived home value

• The “builder’s special” landscape can actually reduce perceived value

Take Home Message #2

• An investment of less than $250 for colorful annuals and perennials added nearly $1,000 to home value,

returning 400% on the initial expense.

• Most landscaping, save for the poor jobs, returns at least 100%

More importantly

• Colorful flowers connect emotionally on a basic level unreachable by most other means

We don’t really know what it is, we

just love it.

Timing is Everything• $200 spent now

on flowers can increase the value a little, & increase the curb appeal, & speed of sale a lot!

• It is a perfect time to tell your sellersto kick it up a notch with some color.