Will adding a garden of some sort to your home have a positive, negative, or neutral affect on your home's resale value?
Let's dive in and learn more!
As a general rule of thumb (or green thumb in this case), you can expect that any sort of finished landscaping is going to add resale value to your home down the line. How much? That is hard to say. On average, homeowners tend to get more money out of landscaping than they spent on it, with the caveat here being that the landscaping has been installed properly, is of high quality, and is well-maintained during the homeowner's time living with it.
A great example of what not to do when trying to increase property value is edge out a flower bed in your front yard and let it get overgrown with weeds as tall as you are. This is going to directly have an affect on your home's value in a negative direction.
A somewhat neutral example would be a planted flower bed that is edged out around the front of your house and was installed really well, but not maintained the best or spruced up before listing your home for sale. If there is grass coming through the mulch, or no mulch at all, it is time to get to work to add that extra little touch for homebuyers to notice. Landscaping is one of the first things they take note of when walking up to tour your home, so it is paramount that the details are paid attention to.
The perfect finished landscaping in my opinion is a well-installed and high quality flower bed in the front of the house with a few of the following key points to take it up a notch above the rest:
No grass growing through the surface inside the bed
Mulch or ground cover to prevent bare soil exposure to the air (mother nature is modest)
Well trimmed decorative plants, or healthy and sightly food-producing fruits and veggies
Drip irrigation hooked into the rest of the sprinkler system for the home and set up on a timer to soak the bed automatically before the hot midday sun is overhead
Want it step it up even further?
Utilize underutilized spaces in the yard (whether it be in the front yard, side yard, or backyard) and take the time to build a quality raised bed to grow vegetables for your family.
Lubbock where I live is in USDA zone 7, and is actually in reality is a lot harsher than a simple Google search might suggest. The amount of direct sunlight most plants can handle here makes a small raised bed between houses perfect with only a couple hours of harsh direct sunlight.
If in a backyard, I suggest having some sort of shade cloth or light diffusion material on hand to prevent plants from getting scorched.
By putting in and maintaining a raised bed, you are showing potential buyers what is truly possible to make out of the space in your yard without them having to do any imagining. The hard part for them will be maintaining it, but someone who appreciate the beauty added is more than up to the task.
What are a few things that you can plant and grow that not only look appealing but are also nutritious for your family?
Tomatoes
Jalapenos
Pole beans
Strawberries
Summer and winter squash of all varieties. They grow quickly into fascinating shapes and colors.
Okra
Melons (watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydew)
Lettuce or spinach
Swiss chard
Turnips and beets
Carrots
Herbs (basil, rosemary, lavender, sage, the list goes on
Not only is there the added value to the house something to be considered (100%, 200%, sometimes even more than that), but there is also the value of the work that goes into it for you as the owner! If you have kiddos, gardening is a great way to spend time with them and teach them valuable lessons about hard work and the (literal) fruits of their labor (if you're growing fruits and not veggies).
What better way to spend a weekend with your family than building something together with your hands and sowing seeds, and over time putting in work together to eventually have a product that can be enjoyed together.
Overall, the general message is to go big and do it right if you are going to plant a garden or flower bed at your home. If you do it right, the added value will be there, and the non-measurable benefits that come along with it might even better.
Happy gardening, and send me pictures of your gardens whether you are in Lubbock, Dallas, Los Angeles, or Tampa!
