Does Good Landscaping Increase Home Value?

Landscaping can have a big impact on the impression a home makes. The front lawn leading to your door is usually what a visitor notices first; the view out the back can enhance the ambiance of interior rooms. The question is, how vital is it to invest in curb appeal to improve your home’s value? Is it worth prioritizing part of your home maintenance budget on your outdoor areas?

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) claims professional landscaping can increase a home’s price tag 15 percent to 20 percent more at the time of resale. “High-quality landscape designs usually have an ROI of 20 percent to 30 percent of the overall house value,” says Bryan McKenzie, a landscape designer and co-founder of gardening advice site bumpercroptimes.com. However, not all projects deliver on the promise, and some can potentially decrease property value. Where you see beauty, others may see a burden or even a hazard.

Landscaping and Increased Value: Exploring the Proof

When doing the research on this topic, I was surprised to see exactly how unanimous the opinion is: Home value is increased by landscaping. More specifically, it is increased by good quality landscaping with a certain character.

Virginia Cooperative Extension Study

A study carried out by the Virginia Cooperative Extension of Virginia State University tested the perceived value with a set of sixteen photos with different styles of landscaping in their garden. The changes in this perception varied from 5% to an incredible 12%. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the right landscaping will increase your home’s value by 12%, it does put you in a better position for negotiating and attracting potential buyers. This study shows that the main aspect which had an impact on home value was design sophistication. A design with large plants and features which look ‘sophisticated’ is more likely to appear expensive and appealing.

Another study focusing on Greenville, South Carolina

This study had an intriguing finding. It was done by Mark S. Henry for the University Center for Economic Development of Clemson University. This study focused more on the quality of the landscaping and the difference between average, good and excellent landscaping quality. The price difference between ‘average’ landscaping to good landscaping was 4% to 5%, but selling prices could be up to 7% higher if the quality was seen as excellent. This sample was not just based on perception, but actual sales of homes in this area over a two-year period.