Today’s buyers are paying extra close attention to a home’s outdoor spaces. They are looking for a grassy area for children and pets to play. They are looking for outdoor entertainment spaces as a walk through the local Home Depot or Home Goods store will attest. Is your landscaping an asset or a liability as you get your house ready for the market?
Your home’s curb appeal has a lot to do with getting potential buyers out of the car and inside to seriously consider purchasing your home. Every home exterior has a focal point. It’s the first thing that you notice as you approach the house. Beware if your home’s focal point is attracting the wrong kind of attention. Overgrown landscaping that hides the house from the road, or has grown too close to the house, indicates exterior maintenance is being ignored. A tree that is not-in-scale with a home may make the house look small in comparison. Trees and large limbs that are too close to a house will raise red flags for many buyers.
Read, ‘Setting the Stage for Your Best Price’ here: http://bit.ly/2IYFzDz
The front entrance establishes your home’s first impression. Scraggly, bare shrubs by the front door and walkway should be replaced with healthy plants. Beds should be weeded and laid with fresh mulch.
A 2018 study from the National Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of Landscape Professionals found that outdoor remodeling projects bring great value – both emotionally and financially – to the homeowners who complete them. The study found that the most cost-effective project was implementing standard lawn care, which recoups 267% of the project cost at resale. Here are the top 10 remodeling projects, as ranked by REALTORS® in the study for Buyer Appeal and for their added value on resale:
|
Top 10 Outdoor Projects |
|
| REALTOR® Rank
Project’s Buyer Appeal |
REALTOR® Rank
Likely Added Value for Resale |
| 1. Standard Lawn Care Service | 1. Landscape Maintenance |
| 2. Landscape Maintenance | 2. Overall Landscape Upgrade |
| 3. Overall Landscape Upgrade | 3. Standard Lawn Care Service |
| 4. Tree Care | 4. New patio |
| 5. New Wood Deck | 5. New Wood Deck |
| 6. New Patio | 6. Tree Care |
| 7. Landscape Lighting | 7. Landscape Lighting |
| 8. Fire Feature | 8. Statement Landscape |
| 9. Irrigation System | 9. Irrigation System |
| 10. Statement Landscape | 10. Outdoor kitchen |
2018 Remodeling Impact: Outdoor Features
The Remodeling Impact study also gave outdoor projects a “Joy score” based on homeowner satisfaction with their projects. The projects earning a perfect 10 were fire features and irrigation systems. Whether or not you are planning to sell your house, outdoor remodeling projects can be a source of joy and enhance your resale value.
Jody Udelsman is a Realtor-Sales Associate in Coldwell Banker’s Basking Ridge office and a NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Sales Award winner. Jody is an empty-nester living in Basking Ridge with her husband Lee.