A Survey of Agents Reveals How Much Curb Appeal Matters to Home Value

For years, we had a love-hate relationship with the landscaping of our residence. Yeah, quality trees and grass add to the curb appeal of our suburban Texas home. But we had losing battles with a Bradford Pear tree and a weed infestation with Bermuda grass.

So, being somewhat lazy, we removed the tree (with hopes that the HOA doesn’t notice) and resodded the yard with St. Augustine. We felt comfortable that we’ve solved our landscaping issues, but these changes are personal preference. Your experience can vary.

We wondered whether these changes impacted our home’s value — because they can. Trees.com recently released a survey of 1,250 licensed real estate agents who determined neglected landscaping can be costly to homeowners looking to optimize the value in their homes. The survey cited 2021 home values by Zillow and found that subpar landscaping could cost Texas homeowners $17,250 in home value.

In the survey:

• 78 percent of agents said poor landscaping and hardscaping negatively affect property values.
• 59 percent of agents say trees are the landscaping element that adds the most value to a home.
• 20 percent of agents say adding one healthy tree can increase property values by 30 percent or more.

Of course, these are the findings of a 24-year-old blog devoted to helping “readers learn how to build their optimal outdoor space,” so it leans into tree advocacy. You can check the findings here.

But now that you’re intrigued by Tree.com’s findings, it’s not a bad idea to turn to some of the experts in landscape management. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has a handy resource center for publications, information, and educational materials. It’s available here.