Garden Talk: December 8, 2005 From NGA Editors Investing in Your
Landscape Pays Off Money does grow on trees, according to a new
study from Michigan State University. Researchers conducted an
experiment to determine the landscape components home buyers
valued the most, and how much those components increased or
decreased the perceived value of the home. The results showed
that a good landscape increased home values from 5 to 11
percent. The more mature the landscape and the more elaborate
the design, the more the value increased. Researchers showed
more than 1,300 people in seven different states 16 photos of
the front of a home that was landscaped to varying degrees. They
created three levels of landscaping with varying plant sizes,
design sophistication, and types of plant material used.
Respondents were told the fair market values of the homes and
asked to estimate how much the perceived value of the home
increased or decreased in each photo. In all markets the
homeowners most valued the largest, most soph