Real Estate Community Forum

We chose to leave our yard "natural" and wooded rather than do landscaping. Our appraisal was lower than our neighbors with similar homes. Did the lack of landscaping affect our appraisal figure?

Although appraisers do not specifically price landscaping in their analysis, if your landscaping is different from the homes your property is being compared to the appraiser may make a pricing adjustment. For example, if your lawn is dead there may be a negative adjustment on value or if you have more mature trees/upgraded landscaping the appraiser may adjust the appraised value upwards accordingly.

Most appraisers will not adjust for differences in landscape unless it's either very poor compared to other homes in the neighborhood or very upgraded compared to other homes in the area. I guess that would be the opinion of the appraiser but it's rare to adjust unless it's one extreme or the other. You could always call your lender and have them consult the appraiser as to why they made any adjustment for landscape. If you haven't seen the appraisal you can ask your lender for a copy.

Landscaping is not only planting flowers to make the house look pretty. It is also not putting in the “right” ground cover or trees for the house’s appearance. Landscaping does many things that aren’t immediately visible.

Probably the most valuable landscaping feature is the control of rainwater and wind. This is not readily visible unless a steep bank is adjacent to your house, but if you have made your lot proof against rain or street water, it will be acknowledged by the appraiser in a positive way. This might include leveling the lot, creating a good slope for drainage or putting in French drains to protect the foundation. Any of these are valuable to the property, a potential buyer and your insurance company.

A very good automatic watering system for the plants you do install is also a valuable addition. Not only will it make your plants less demanding on the local water supply, it will make the plants healthier by far than they would be otherwise. Point out the system to the appraiser and know how much water and how often the landscape requires. If you’ve done the job right, the appraiser will know the value and appreciate it.

Since my home is in a heavily wooded area, fire is a threat every year. Too many large and small trees crowd the older homes in my neighborhood, blocking both the view and sunlight. When designing my landscape, many thousands of dollars of tree trimming and removal were included. The property and house are lighter and more attractive both inside and out as a result.

My realtor is very pleased. The insurance company gave me a big discount over my neighbor’s policy cost. While an appraiser might not know how much of a difference this made, they will certainly be able to see how much the house stands out in the neighborhood.