Adding Value to Your Property by Using a Low Maintenance Landscape

By: Tyler Campbell

When advertising a rental property, how would you describe the yard to prospective renters?  

”Expansive lawn that you won’t be able to enjoy because either you or somebody else will be constantly maintaining it, including on weekends, vacations, and holidays.”

That sounds more like punishment than pleasure. A property that requires a lot of lawn maintenance is a turnoff to prospective renters and an expense of time and money for a landlord. Both renters and those investing in rental properties would rather see an ad like this:

“Expansive lawn that adds to the home’s value through low maintenance landscaping, allowing you to enjoy it anytime, including weekends, vacations, and holidays.”

When it comes to a lawn, landlords are discovering that less can equal more, and low maintenance landscaping is the key to enhancing a rental home’s value. With water use becoming a critical issue, a lawn that requires less water means less work and lower costs, a winning combination for home value, and even a selling point to prospective buyers. Here are some ways to transform your property’s landscape from financial drag to long-term windfall.

Mixing It Up

Grass lawns may seem as American as apple pie, but they were rare and impractical luxuries until the mechanical miracles of the Industrial Revolution. Today’s high water and maintenance costs have brought us full circle. We want the grassy lawn of our dreams without nightmarish expenses and headaches.

That means mixing things up by introducing plants that need little water and minimal care. Succulents, bushes, and shrubs all add to a home’s curb appeal and need little water to survive. They also require less maintenance than a grass lawn that needs regular mowing. Don’t get rid of the grass. Just create a blended landscape that incorporates grass, gardens, and other features that are easy on the eye and the wallet.

Know the Territory

Long before any of us or our ancestors got to wherever it is we call home, native plants were doing just fine without any help from people. Whether it’s grass, flowers, or ornamentals, planting regional natives makes maintenance easier. It also adds a “local” color that many potential homebuyers find important. These plants are adapted to local weather and soil conditions.

Money Trees

One sure way to increase property value with landscaping is to have trees. The Arbor Day Foundation calculates that mature trees add 10% on average to a home’s value. Their shade can also reduce air conditioning needs by as much as 50%. Trees can cut heating bills by acting as windbreaks. Native trees will also provide habitat for the birds and wildlife that many homebuyers desire for their backyard retreat.

The key to having trees that add value while being easy to maintain is location. Experts caution against planting trees too close to a house or driveway. You don’t want them to block views from the house or interfere with power lines as the trees mature. But, with a little planning, trees are more than aesthetically pleasing; they’re a good investment.

Rock On

It may not come with the adoring crowds, the stretch limo, or the posh hotel suite, but rock star status in your backyard has its perks. Rocks could be flagstone, bricks, stepping stones, boulders, river rock, or just about any kind of stone surface that takes the place of vegetation.

Hardscaping uses both natural and manufactured elements to create low-maintenance outdoor living spaces. Flagstone patios, gravel borders, paving stone walkways, accent boulders all help increase property value by adding visual variety, style, and functionality to a yard while lowering costs for watering. Putting in a hardscape is hard work that may be best left to professionals, but once it’s installed, there’s little to no maintenance.

Time is Money

The old saying “Time is money” may be a cliche, but cliches become cliches because they’re truths that get repeated over and over. As we place a higher value on our time, chores like constant mowing, watering, and weeding are a price renters are no longer willing to pay. The fewer of those chores required, the higher your property’s value. But, whether you’re planning on renting out your home or enjoying it yourself one day, you can reap the aesthetic and financial benefits that come from low-maintenance landscaping.

Tyler Campbell started mowing lawns as a teenager to put himself through college. After getting his degree in landscape architecture, he now designs landscapes but his favorite part is getting down to grass tacks, and designing low-maintenance yards.