5 Backyard Improvements That Will Increase the Value of Your Home

When looking forward to making some improvements in your home, you need to know the goal of this project. Namely, some improvements raise the quality of life drastically, yet, won’t be able to get back the money’s worth during the sale.

A perfect example of such a trend is the replacement of windows or the insulation of walls, which, saves a small fortune in the long run, yet, doesn’t return the investment money, if you decide to sell the place right away.

On the other hand, landscape improvements to your backyard always give an incredible ROI, which is why they’re more than worth considering. Here are some ideas on how you can turn this to your advantage.

Plant a Tree

If you intend to boost the resale value of your home, even though you don’t plan to sell it anytime soon, you might want to plant a tree. Saplings cost next to nothing, while a fully matured tree may boost the value of your property by $10,000.

The problem with this method lies in the fact that you have to make a time investment. Namely, it may take your backyard tree 10 to 20 years until they’re fully mature.

This means that should you plan to sell the place in a year or two, this might not be something you want to bother with (from the perspective of ROI, of course). Nonetheless, planting a tree is always a smart, green and altruistic thing to do.

Reduce the size of your lawn

While, in theory, a large green surface may seem like a good idea, it has two downsides you don’t want to deal with.

First of all, it requires more maintenance than flower beds, due to the fact that it has to be tended to more frequently in order to remain visually pleasing.

Apart from this, it may make your backyard appear empty which is something you need to avoid. Aside from planting these flower beds, you may also want to pave a brick, concrete or gravel path, which costs anywhere between $6 and $20 per square foot. The return, nonetheless, is more than worth it.

Outdoor living space

By adding functionality to your backyard you can make it into a much more appealing space. Namely, making an entire outdoor kitchen may not be worth the investment money (in the case of the resale), however, there are some other, more frugal, methods you might want to try out.

For instance, you can go with some low-cost outdoor furniture, a patio and some basic, yet elegant led lights for garden. This alone will make your patio into an alternative living room, which is a notion that can serve as a selling point later on.

Your real estate agent will be able to create a mental image of a buyer and their friends relaxing here during hot summer evenings, thus closing the sale much more effortlessly.

Provide some privacy

The main reason why backyard is the focus of most landscaping guides, and not the front yard, is due to the fact that it’s a private place, shut off from the eyes of the world. Well, at least this is what it’s supposed to be.

If this is not the case in your own backyard, then it’s probably the first issue that you need to focus on. For the time being, building a fence seems like the most cost- and time-efficient solution, even though growing, pruning and maintaining a hedge would be somewhat more aesthetic.

Make a vegetable’s garden

As iconic Humphrey Bogart stated in the 1955 classic We’re No Angels, it’s not about selling the product, it’s about selling the idea.

So, by planting a vegetable garden in the backyard, you might just enthrall both your real estate agent and the future buyer with the prospect of growing their own food.

Superfood gardens, pizza gardens, taco gardens, herb gardens and vegetable gardens, in general, are all the rage nowadays, so why would you miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on it. On the other hand, this is something you will probably have to pull off on your own, which is what drives most people away.

In conclusion

It goes without saying that there are some potential improvements we’ve so-far omitted, mostly due to the fact that they have a situational ROI-friendliness.

For instance, constructing a shed or a gazebo might turn out to be frugal depending on your ability to do the project as a DIY, the materials used and your own ambitions.

Hiring a construction crew to do so, on the other hand, might not be the best of solutions. Still, it’s always good knowing that you have so many options in front of you. All you have to do now is employ a bit of strategy, skill and creativity.