The Importance of Landscaping in Home Buying

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Rusty Thompson on June 23rd, 2011

 

The right landscaping is a critical factor when it comes to home sales, for both the buyer and the seller. For the seller of the home, enhancing the landscaping can lead to a faster sale, and even to a higher selling price. For the buyer, the right landscaping can serve as an assurance that the home is worth the price being asked, and it can help to ensure that the home will retain its value as long as the landscape is maintained in its current condition.

On the other hand, many price conscious buyers and those seeking investment properties will specifically look for those homes whose landscaping is not up to neighborhood standards. The nature of the landscaping can reveal a great deal about the home and its current occupants, and those investors who are able to apply a critical eye to the landscape may be able to land some real bargains.

When it comes to looking critically at the landscape, however, it is important to keep in mind that every buyer and seller will have a different vision of what constitutes the perfect landscape. For some the perfect landscape may be a hillside covered with wildflowers and native species of plants. For others a meticulously groomed and manicured formal garden represents the epitome of class and style. Still others may prefer to incorporate water elements, such as ponds, waterfalls and fountains, into their dream landscape.

It is important, therefore, to distinguish between a neglected landscape and one that simply does not represent your tastes. While a landscape overgrown with weeds can indicate a sloppy homeowner, and perhaps other problems lurking inside the home, On the other hand, a well kept landscape that is, to your eye, in bad taste, may simply mean that the home and its interior is not in your style. This kind of problem is easy to fix, so be sure to consider the nature of the problem as you shop for the perfect home.

Of course you may be lucky enough to find the perfect home with the perfect landscape already in place. While this is not an everyday occurrence, it certainly does happen, and in fact it is the landscaping that leads many home buyers to the home of their dreams.

If, on the other hand, the home is perfect but the landscaping is not, it is important to visualize your dream landscape as you would like it to be. The first step is to sketch out the elements of the landscape as they are now, and then to mark down the changes you would like to make. If you need to remove trees, bushes or other permanent elements of the landscape, be sure to note that as you go. Having a visual representation of the perfect landscape will make it much easier as the landscape redesign goes forward.

As you visualize your perfect landscape, be sure to remember the importance of a good view. It is not enough for the landscape to be attractive to passing motorists and pedestrians; it is essential that the landscape provide you and your family with a pleasant view of the outside world. Considering how the landscape looks, from both inside and outside the home, will help you visualize, and create, the landscape of your dreams.