Gregg Hagge: Well.it depends on a lot of things. First, your area and the condition of surrounding homes like yours. Second, the amount you plan on spending.Expensive landscaping will likely not get the same return percentage-wise as a smaller investment. Having an attractive yard and curbappeal in general is important, but you can invest more than you might get in return. Why don't you ask some real estate agents in the area before you start? They can give you some guidance about the possibilities and how much it might help your house in particular. Realize there is a ceiling on how much your house will sell for in relation to the asking price for similar houses at the time you put it on the market. And, remember that landscaping is just one factor to boost price. If there is anything else in your house that might also increase the value, i.e flooring replacement, minor kitchen or bath remodels, it might be wiser to spread the money around a little....Show more
Pen! elope Armond: If you are planning to sell your home right away, you should probably not put as much money into the yard as you would if you planned to stay and enjoy your new landscaping.The usual route that people take is to "spiff" up the landscaping to increase the curb appeal if they are going to sell the house, not put in expensive landscaping. You want to do the minimum so that people will think it looks pleasant, but not go overboard. You want people to be willing to get out of the car to see the inside, so it must look neat and presentable.Trim the bushes, mow the grass, fertilize the lawn, plant some colorful annuals. Put out some hanging plants and possibly a little bistro set. Paint the front door, pressure wash the driveway and walkways if they need it.If you spend a lot of money only to plan on selling the house right away, you probably will not recover your investment. Just do the basics to make it look nice and pleasant. If your potential buyer is reall! y into the yard, they will want to do their own design and red! o....Show more
Guy Bonamico: This depends a lot on the size, and condition of the yard before the landscaping. What the appraisers or buyers are looking for can also make a huge difference. Some landscaping could even decrease the value.Ripping out large trees, or accidentally killing them by cutting too much of the roots away is a major source of lost home value. However, crooked blocks of sidewalk and foundation need to be redone, and that is probably a good investment.Putting in new trees is so-so. The baby ones from the nursery are not real spectacular unless you get a few good seasons of growth in, but if you put them in the wrong place, your foundation will be gone.I also believe that fruit plants are major selling points.A friend of mine moved out, and hired me to maintain the yard of his house until it sold. Looked to me like I'd have that job forever. There wer gophers, the front yard was on a slope, the trees were short scraggly things you had to crawl! under to mow, there was no plumbing in the back, and the real estate agent was not real great. I did have the job for nearly a year. That agent couldn't sell AKs to terrorists. I'd see him flubb sale after sale. Then spring came around again. The nectarine tree started flowering, the flowering plums started making little plums, the grapes started getting grapes... and one day the agent was trying to sell to this couple that came over while I was working. He kept dragging them back inside to check out the big fireplace of whatever, but they kept going out to look at the yard. The guy's attention would wander, and I'd slip in to say "You can eat that... You can eat these..." Five minutes after he'd chewed on a fruit from the flowering plum he agreed to buy.For that house, how much did the landscape add to the selling price? just about all of it as far as I can tell....Show more
Debora Rinderer: If you are planning on selling it then I'd only do what is necessa! ry for curb appeal. Don't over do it or you are wasting your money. F! ertilize and edge your lawn....clean up the flower beds and add bark dust. Plant some colorful inexpensive plants or shrubs.
