It”s a buyer”s market, and local landscapers, also affected by the recent economic downturn, join Realtors in urging sellers to consider the curb appeal of their property.
Aesthetics
“There”s certainly been a downturn because of the economy,” said Mike Christian, owner of Great Southern Landscape Co. “Usually, at this time of year, a good landscaper is backed up for a few months. I”m backed up for a few weeks, but, this spring, everything I”ve gotten is a referral, so that”s nice. All my advertising hasn”t gotten any business.
“If you have to move your house, it pays to have it done right,” he continued, noting he doesn”t handle “maintenance work” on lawns, but does a lot of new landscaping for homeowners selling their houses. “The curb appeal is as important as staging inside the house and, a lot of times, more so. Because if people don”t like the curb appeal, they”ll pass it.”
“I think people are antsy about selling and getting out from under big houses,” said Derek Lowery, owner of Grassmasters, whose business also has been hurt by the poor economy. “As far as a homeowner, it does make sense to have the outside appearance appealing. If it doesn”t look good on the outside, people aren”t going to buy it.”
“We”ve (experienced) a big down turn,” admitted Tony Jones, who, along with Scott Williams, owns Golden Triangle Landscape. “(But) there”s quite a few people who are trying to sell and build a little equity in their home before they sell. They”re trying to give it curb appeal. That”s pretty much a normal practice for a lot of people who are trying to sell houses, but now it”s worse.
“It”s almost like the first thing people see when they buy your house,” he added. “It”s a self-advertising type of thing. I”ve seen the equity value of a landscaped yard go up $15,000 to $20,000 depending on what they put into it.”
Jones advises homeowners to “add 15 percent (of the home”s) equity” through landscaping.
“Usually, you only have to spend six or seven percent and let the landscape become mature,” he explained. “By the time you sell the house, you”ve added 15 percent equity. That”s a big, big number, especially if you have a $100,000 home. But a lot of people, if they were to buy a house, they don”t want to have to sink money into it themselves. (With landscaping,) it”s already done; they can just hire somebody to maintain it.”
“Anything that will improve the looks of the home will also improve the sale,” agreed Angie Whitten, a Realtor with Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited, who noted the real estate market is “not as good as it was in 2007, but it”s picking up.”
“We do refer some (homeowners) to landscapers from time to time,” she added. “We can suggest it, but not always do they listen to those suggestions. Anything that can improve the first, initial picture a buyer gets kind of sticks in their mind. Anything that jumps out there and says, ”Hey, look, this is a really nice home!” will always help.”
“I think it does make the house more appealing,” Kathy Cesare, a Realtor with Rhett Real Estate, said of landscaping. “Some people walk in and just know that”s the house, no matter what. And other times, people can”t see through the blinders without everything being just perfect.”
“Our sellers go from simple to lavish,” said Brenda Waldrop of Brenda Waldrop Realty. “As long as its landscaped and the yards are manicured, any kind of blooming flowers are welcome. It enhances the curb appeal effect with buyers. When you actually drive someone up to a house, you may already have made an appointment, but if that curb appeal isn”t there, they don”t want to go in the house.”
Waldrop advises “simple” landscaping for more universal appeal.
“We have presently some of the most beautiful houses in Columbus and the surrounding areas for sale,” she said. “The interest rates are at all time lows and the forecast is it will be that way for a while. It”s definitely a buyers” market. We see lots of motivation from the sellers. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who has been pre-approved for a loan or has the money to purchase a home.”
Smith Landscaping”s main business is working “with established yards,” said owner Alan Smith, but landscaping is important for everyone, not just those trying to sell their homes.
“It”s just like anything,” he explained. “I think maintenance is the way to go, as opposed to letting it go down and start from scratch over and over again. It”s just common sense.”
“If you could just have pride in your house and how it looks, it might help you get through some tough times,” said Christian.
Tough times for landscapers
“Unfortunately, landscape work is one of the first things to be cut out of people”s budget, especially if you”ve got corporate property that landscapers are cutting grass for,” Jones said.
“I would say what people are doing is they”re getting people (to tend corporate lawns) at cheaper prices, who are not insured,” said Lowery. “People can come in that are not insured and they can actually make more of a profit than I can and charge the customer a cheaper price. These commercial people, they”re taking a chance. The only thing people look at now is the bottom dollar. Service, reliability and dependability cost something; they”re not free. I”ve seen a bunch of people get into it and they”re not considering replacement costs.
“The best thing a homeowner can do is — for machinery or motor-operated equipment — to get the job done, they”re better off paying somebody,” he continued, advising homeowners to handle their own weeding and flower-tending, but to hire professionals for other work. “The homeowner would be better off getting a spray bottle and some chemicals and touching up and getting the detail work done. Most (homeowners) don”t even know how to change and sharpen the blades (of a lawnmower). If it”s a piece of machinery, they”re better off paying for that service and doing the detail work themselves.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
