Have you ever gone on a date where your date didn’t even bother to shower or put on decent clothing? How did you feel? If you were turned off and offended, that’s probably how potential buyers of your home will feel when they see that your home has a messy garden or patio.
The attractiveness of a property is first manifested in its outdoor appearance. If there is a nice little garden with a fountain or even a patio with a retractable patio awning, it can seriously up the game. According to John Gidding of HGTV’s Curb Appeal and Logo TV’s Secret Guide to Fabulous, an investment into a patio or an outdoor garden can have an ROI of 150%. In fact, he had a client in the past that got $200,000 for a $20,000 investment.
Building a Garden and a Patio
Although this formula is not foolproof, and it does not work for every home, Erik Shorb of American Plant said that the total investment in landscaping should amount to 10% of the total value of the house. This does not mean that you have to spend thousands of dollars into starting a garden or building a patio and deck. Potential buyers want to be the one to design the patio and garden to their liking. They are less likely to spend an extra $15,000 on a home because it’s fully decked with a fire pit, a pergola, and a modular kitchen unit.
Adding Other Features
Based on the data from the National Association of Realtors, investing in a basic patio is more practical if ROI is your priority. Buyers tend to get attracted to the presence of gardens, decks, and patios alone. They don’t need to be filled to the brim with all the luxury offers on the market. Buyers will recognize the potential of the outdoor space and fill it up with features that they like. In fact, the simple addition of the right lighting that magnifies the beauty of the flowers, shrubs, and trees in the garden can be the reason why a buyer will be willing to pay more for your home.
Hiring a Landscape Architect
Homeowners tend to want to do the reconstruction and renovation of their garden and patios by themselves. However, starting, growing, and tending to a garden can be a scientific nightmare. Unless you know something about horticulture and landscape architecture, your best move is to hire a professional who can design an outdoor space that fits the character of the property.
A simple patio can run the cost of about $5,000, while opting to do the patio by yourself will bring down the cost to just $3,500 to $3,800. However, if you plan to sell the house after the patio has been built, it will be best for you to pay that extra $1,500 because a botched job will only make the project more expensive. It can potentially ruin the appearance of the house.
Putting up your home for sale is a major decision. To make losing an important part of your life worth it, focus on improving the overall design and appearance of your home. Selling it for more than the amount you have spent maintaining and renovating it will do justice to the sacrifice of having to let it go (for whatever reasons you might have).
