Landscaping Tips-How a Drastic Theme Change to your Yard can Negatively Affect your Property Value

It would seem to make logical sense that any marked improvement to a needy landscape would surely help the value of a home immeasurably.  Not necessarily so, as many homeowners end up carrying out landscape improvement plans that are so over the top they end up scaring away potential buyers and make real estate appraisers take note.

Everyone has seen it.  That home in the neighborhood that makes you stop in your tracks to ask the proverbial question, “What were they thinking?”  Or how about, “What have they done to our neighborhood?”  That is one of my favorites.  Yes, the home that was in need of some dire help, but now has landscape and possibly hardscaping that is so overly improved that it actually hurts the home’s marketability if it is going up for sale on the market.  Even more painful is when it hurts the value of surrounding homes that may go on the market for sale. 

We have to forgive the overzealous homeowner for they know not always what they do.  With good intentions, they often end up trying to crowd too much in to a constricted space, or simply choose the wrong landscaping décor for the home, and possibly even the neighborhood.  Here are a few landscaping tips to consider when giving your landscape a makeover:

Your long term plans:  Are you looking at staying put for awhile, perhaps indefinitely in your current home?  Or maybe your goal is to move on in a few years.  Whatever the case, your landscaping choices will and should reflect whether you want to improve your yard to improve its market value when it comes time to sell, or give it a makeover that you plan on enjoying yourself for years to come.  There is a difference.  In the same way that more neutral toned down colors should most often be used when painting the interior of your home prior to sale, you should also exercise conservative judgment when getting your landscaping ready for sale.  Make it appeal to the masses, not the select few that just want to stop by your open house to check out the over the top color choices.  If you are staying put, you have a bit more flexibility.

Your landscaping tastes:  This one can hurt.  We all want to think that we have award winning taste when it comes to picking out plants, flowers, and other landscape décor.  Perhaps it is a good time to take a reality check and see how our tastes compare to the average homeowner when it comes to landscaping ideas.  I like to give as an example our own home, and when we first saw it were blinded by the amount of pink that the now former homeowner used inside.  Pink carpet, pink upholstery, pink shower like kitchen counter tile, pink ceiling fan trim, etc..  Ouch!  We knew this was a case of someone taking it over the top inside, but the same thing can happen on the outside as well.  If you live in a community governed by a homeowners association, you are usually protected from the landscape design habits of that overzealous homeowner.  If not, be extra careful to be on the lookout for the homeowner who is obsessed with lavender stucco.   That is never a good thing.

Tropical versus cottage style:  There are many general different landscaping themes to consider.  Tropical and cottage style are only two.  However, if the majority of the homes on your block are landscaped with lush evergreens, perennials, and annuals, does it really help your property to line up towering queen palms like monoliths on each side of your driveway?  Probably not the best course of action in most cases.  But use your own judgment. 

Happy Landscaping!

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