We’ve entered the prime season at the Lake of the Ozarks to sell your home. So perhaps it’s time to improve your landscape design and enhance the curb appeal of your house. Maybe you are not familiar with the fact that improving your home landscape can bring ROI (return of investment) of 150% at selling time? Compared to other remodeling options, landscaping is definitely the one that maximizes the value of your property the most. Even the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recommends that owners should invest 10% of the home’s value in landscaping.
When it comes to reinventing your home’s exterior, a smart strategic approach for house upgrades is where you will leverage the greatest return. This is where the landscaping become so important because, as you all know, the first impression matters the most. Homeowners should make sure their landscaping is well-groomed, their driveway is cleaned out with no leaves and branches lying about, and their overall exterior appearance is well-kept. Experience teaches us that these are the sellers who will get their property shown frequently over a short period of time, and in the end, they will most likely get the offer they want.
Landscaping can improve your property’s curb appeal in more ways than one. But bear in mind that poorly designed or executed landscaping will have an adverse effect. So if you can’t do it well, it’s actually better to not attempt doing it at all. Landscaping design needs to match the architectural style of your home. Those two are inseparable, like a handbag and a scarf! Choosing the right team of experts for your landscape design should be as important as choosing the right team to do your interior redecorating or installing your garage doors.
Smart landscaping can save you money.
Landscaping goes beyond just gardening, edging and mulching. Professional landscape contractors are familiar with all the design and architectural options and tools available on the market and can come up with a detailed plan that will match your dreams and your budget.
Adding just a couple of changes like small ponds around your perennial plants or decorative garden paths followed by a nicely structured stone fire pit or low voltage landscape lighting installation will freshen your outdoor appearance and make it more attractive to the buyers.
And all this can be done in just a few days without your yard looking like a construction site for weeks. Some solutions need more time, especially if you have a specific style in mind which requires special structural features like hardscape patios, retaining walls, water fountains or bubbling boulders.
Don’t forget that your curb appeal has to serve the beauty of your home, so go for the solution that unifies both aesthetics.
Think like a home buyer.
Most real estate agents will tell you that home buyers get emotionally attached to the property within the first few minutes of a home showing. This is because it is the first step in the overall buyer’s experience.
From the moment they see the house, they start to envision their potential life within the fences of the well-presented yard. And any tasteful and aesthetically pleasing architectural improvements made to the house exterior can excite a prospective buyer to explore all the possibilities this house offers. In contrast, a hodgepodge of plants, stones, randomly planted trees, and other hardscape materials will only give your home’s appearance a disorganized feeling.