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Beautiful Landscape Design
How can some grass, flowers, rocks and stones impact the value of a house? Plenty, if the landscape is designed to make the house more attractive. There is much more to property value than the number of bedrooms and baths in a house. The landscape design can either attract more buyers or push them away. The house is the perfect little black dress or Italian cut suit. The landscape is the perfect necklace or silk tie.
Creamy white exterior with slate blue trim. 4 bedrooms, 2 full and one ½ baths, finished basement. Hardwood flooring on the first level and lush carpeting in the bedrooms. A master bath designed more as a mini spa than a bathroom, walk in closets in every room. A kitchen out of a 5 star chef’s fantasy. 3 car garage with storage for all the car tools any guy could ever want. Yard space enough to host a fully catered 200 guest wedding with live band and DJ. Attached man cave with enough room for pool table and full size beer fridge. 30 minute commute. ALL THIS AND $30,000 BELOW YOUR BUDGET! Here is a tale of two houses, exact in every detail but one.
Picture this: A beautifully manicured lawn leading into an extensive backyard, grass the perfect shade of summer green, flowers with names you know but can’t remember clustered at perfect intervals, even a small rock garden with emerald moss caressing each stone, and a gorgeous slate path winding up to the brick steps.
Now picture this: Patchy green and brown grass headed into a big plot of land, limp and lifeless flowers lined along the border, a half hearted attempt at a rock garden, and some flat stones made into a walkway from the garage to the front steps of the house.
What would you pay for either of these houses? $200,000, $300,000? What about $400,000? Let’s say the seller is asking for $390,000. The price is well within your budget. The house is exactly what you are looking for. There is only one thing stopping you from making an offer: the appearance.
The house with the beautiful landscaping is listed and has 10 offers the first week. The seller realizes they have a hot commodity and up the asking price to $403,000. They still have 8 offers after the increase. The seller increases again to $413,000 and still has 4 offers. Eventually the house is sold at $421,000. The seller walks away with a $31,000 profit.
That same week the house with the poor landscaping is listed. The first week there are 6 offers, but nothing comes of them. Next there are 2 more offers, but both are below the asking price. The seller refuses to lower the asking price. Eventually someone purchases the house at $400,000. The seller walks away with $10,000 in profit.
The houses described are the exact same property. Again, the difference is the landscaping. Any salesperson can tell you that presentation is everything. Grilled chicken on lettuce isn’t nearly as appetizing as a grilled chicken Caesar salad. In the case of these houses, the landscaping makes the house more appealing and inviting. A small cosmetic investment can turn into a huge profit margin.
When considering landscape designs make sure to see it as an extension of the house. Just as you would pick out a shirt or shoes to match an outfit, your landscape design should enhance the look and value of the house to potential buyers. There is much more to property value than the number of bedrooms and baths in a house. Be sure the landscape design shows the buyer they are not looking for a house, but rather they are looking for a home.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
