(3/8/2011) Spruce up your front yard before you sell your home and you
can raise its perceived value by as much as 18 percent, according to a new
study that applauds curb appeal.
Coming from the Husqvarna Group, a producer of outdoor power products,
the study is self-serving, but other studies and real estate agents swear by
the value of manicured landscaping.
Husqvarna calls it the "Garden Effect" and says the return on a
landscaping investment for curb appeal returns a national average of
$39,000 to the perceived value of the home.
"Americans have always understood the value of curb appeal, however it
has often been categorized as a 'nice to do' not a 'need to do,' " said John
Marchionda, vice president of marketing at Husqvarna.
"The Garden Effect changes the traditional view of what delivers the best
return on investment for your home. The time spent managing the overall
landscape; gardening, lawn maintenance and lawn care, proves to have a
dramatic effect on a home's market value," Marchionda said.
That's because landscaping isn't just an eye opener. It's also a door
opener and a sales closer.
Done right, it's the first impression your home conveys to prospective
buyers and should create an emotional desire to own the home and enjoy the
lifestyle it conveys.
Putting the best face on your home also should give a lasting impression
that motivates buyers to cross the threshold and take that first step toward
closing the deal.
Experts advise, more like a home
improvement or exterior staging job than a cosmetic makeover, the
landscaping component of curb appeal is particularly crucial now that more
and more buyers are calling the shots.
Well-manicured landscaping should frame curb appeal. It should be neat,
tidy, simple, healthy landscaping that's proportional to your home.
You should also know how your landscaping will appear once its matured.
From a practical sense, the plants and trees provide shade and passive
cooling as they control erosion and pollution. They also provide privacy,
especially if it's a single-level home adjacent to two-story houses.
For larger estates a backyard vineyard or maze of hedges can add some pizzazz
to the property.
• Neglect depresses prices. More than 70 percent of real
estate agents believed a neglected garden lowers property prices by 5
percent to 15 percent. Another 17 percent said the impact could be
worse.
• Investment shortfalls. While 60 percent of Americans
consider their yard an investment, 65 percent spend less than $400 a year on
their grounds.
• It's just work. So little is likely spent because only
about half of home owners considered time and resources spent on their
gardens as an investment, with 32 percent believing garden work is just a
time-consuming hassle. Think again.
• Women get it. Half of American women are interested in
landscaping compared to just one-third of American men.
• Grass is greener next door. Seventy-two percent of
Americans admit they think someone in their neighborhood has a more
attractive lawn.
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