Landscaping can add more than value to the sale of your home.  A University of Florida study shows that freshening up your yard can make your home sell faster.   

Bob Degner is director of the Florida Agricultural Market Research Center at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.  He emphasizes that "More than anything, homeowners should landscape their homes for their own enjoyment.  You might come close to doubling your money when you sell, or you might recover only a fraction of your investment, but the investment payoff shouldn't be your primary motivation."   However, "If you want to sell quickly, add a lot of color into the entire yard.  If you’re looking at the long-term payoff, emphasize trees and shrubs that will get larger over the years but be sure not to create an overgrown look.  Having a good design is a key to making a new landscape work," Degner said.  "You can buy your own plants relatively inexpensively and install them yourself if you want to save money, but you should invest in a good landscape design."

When buyers fall in love with a house, it's an emotional attachment.  Landscaping can create atmosphere that triggers emotions.  A buyer will have a gut feeling about a home within a few seconds of seeing it.  That first impression comes from "curb appeal".  This is where proper landscaping can make a big splash. 

Investing in landscaping may not increase the value of your property in the sense measured by a certified appraiser, but it can increase its "appeal value" or "sale ability".  If you were to sell two identical homes for the exact same price, but were to take one and give it a scrub till it shines cleaning, it wouldn't increase its market value, but it would increase its sales appeal. 

Long term strategies in landscaping include planning for plant and tree growth.  If that tree out front will eventually shade the house in the hottest part of the day, that will reduce cooling bills, and increases value.  Research done by Virginia Tech Horticulture Department shows that trees shading homes can reduce attic temperature as much as 40 degrees.  Strategically placed trees can also provide privacy and create a windbreak.  If headlights from the neighborhood shine in the window at night, see if you can plant a tree or shrub in a spot that will block the glare.  Consider an evergreen for year round effectiveness. 

 Psychologist Rachel Kaplan did a study among homebuyers and found that trees, well landscaped grounds and places for taking walks were among the most important factors considered when individuals chose a place to live.  The trees in Nancy Henderson’s Martinsville, Virginia home became a selling point.  She planted two maple trees in her front yard.  As they grew, her cooling bills decreased.  “People were very anxious to know how the trees helped with our air conditioning and electricity bills,” she says.  “And we were able to show potential buyers on paper how the trees decreased our bill costs over time.”