When most homeowners think of ways to increase their home’s value, they often imagine thousands of dollars in repairs and renovations to kitchens, bathrooms, and other indoor areas. Most fail to realize that the curb appeal of the property can have a significant impact on buyers, give them an immediate positive impression of your home, and, ultimately, increase the sale price.
Below, we’ll be discussing some of the most affordable tree treatments that can improve the appearance of your house. We’ll also offer some information on how these services make your home more appealing to buyers and improve the overall value.
Service #1: Annual Pruning
One of the most cost-effective ways to improve the value of your home is to have a professional come out once per year to perform pruning. Annual maintenance works to keep your trees healthy and your property high in value in a number of ways.
When left without maintenance, trees will naturally begin to grow erratically, often with branches crossing over one another and protruding from the canopy in search of sunlight. This leads to an unkempt appearance that buyers will undoubtedly notice when pulling up to your property.
Routine pruning keeps stray branches in check and helps improve the health of the canopy by limiting competition between limbs. Your tree will benefit because it will be able to focus its energy on healthy growth, and your property will look better maintained from the street. Pruning is especially beneficial in areas where property values are high. For example, tree maintenance in Massachusetts is crucial for maintaining the well-kept appearance buyers expect.
A beautiful exterior can have a positive psychological effect on buyers in any area; they see an aesthetically pleasing yard and naturally think the entire home is well taken care of. They’ll be less likely to expect other costly issues to pop up after closing.
Pruning services also promote healthy, dense growth that makes your home appear more private. Privacy is essential to any buyer, and experts have actually found that the appearance of privacy, especially in suburban areas, can significantly improve property value. Annual maintenance will remove dead and dying limbs to make room for new growth that makes your trees look fuller.
Service #2: Pest Treatments
Another service you can utilize to improve the curb value of your home is quarterly pest treatments. Various tree pests — including invasive insects like the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle — put trees at risk across the country. They’re detrimental to your property value for two key reasons.
First and foremost, invasive tree pests feed on the sapwood or leaves of your trees, ultimately damaging the canopy or killing it off entirely. An infested tree will very quickly look unappealing as the leaves begin to wilt, entire limbs die, or the bark is shed from parts of the trunk.
When buyers see sickly trees on the property, they will subconsciously wonder what else is wrong with the home. They may look more closely at any minor issues inside and view the entire property with a negative first impression. Quarterly pest treatments will keep your trees safe from damaging insects, making them more beautiful and appealing in the long run.
Second, educated buyers will know some of the warning signs of pest-infested trees, especially those insects that can cause irreparable damage to trees. If buyers notice dead or dying trees, wilting, holes in the bark, or other issues, they may expect to pay for tree removal or professional extermination following the closing. Not only is treating severe pest infestations costly, but it can also come with headaches and the risk of damage to the home.
An arborist can come to your property once every few months to spray the bark, treat the soil, or administer tree injections to help protect your trees from infestation. Stressed trees are more likely to become infested, so your tree expert can also ensure that your tree remains well cared for and healthy enough to ward off insects.
Service #3: Tree Disease Prevention
Tree diseases and fungi can be just as detrimental to your trees as invasive insects. Some tree diseases — like anthracnose, oak wilt, sudden oak death, and root rot — are prevalent throughout the country. These diseases not only kill trees and leave them looking sickly, but they also stress your trees, leaving them more prone to insect infestation.
The adverse effects of tree diseases and fungi are similar to those associated with pest infestation: limbs can die off, leaves can wilt or drop prematurely, and the bark can become damaged and unsightly.
Any buyer who notices dead or dying trees when approaching your property will have a negative first impression of your home and may ultimately be willing to pay less as a result. Unsightly and dying trees make your home less appealing and limit the value-boosting privacy they might provide if they offered dense coverage.
Additionally, educated buyers or those familiar with the common tree diseases in your area might identify problems and shy away from your home altogether. As a buyer with other options, they very well may choose to move onto a home where they won’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for tree removal after closing.
Certified arborists can often reverse the harmful effects of some tree diseases and restore natural beauty to your trees and your property. Your tree expert may recommend yearly treatments, quarterly sprayings, or soil treatments to keep local tree diseases at bay. These typically only cost a few hundred dollars a year and might drastically improve the curb value of your home.
Service #4: Tree Removal and Stump Removal
Finally, when all hope is lost for a tree that has died from pest infestation, diseases, or some other natural cause, you can opt for tree removal and stump removal to maintain your property’s natural beauty.
A dead tree or rotting stump on your property will often negatively affect your home’s curb appeal and, in turn, the value. Buyers will either subconsciously notice dead trees and walk through your home with a negative first impression, or they will identify the tree as a project they’ll have to complete shortly after moving in. Studies have shown that poor landscaping can cause property value to dip up to 10%.
Tree removal may cost you several thousand dollars, depending on how large it is, but it’s typically worth completing before showing your home. Most buyers know that dead trees put the house and other personal property at risk and that dead trees and rotting stumps can attract termites and other destructive pests.
Wrapping Up: How Tree Treatments Improve Home Value
When a buyer pulls up to your home, the view from the curb is what sets the stage for the rest of the showing. Even buyers who have no knowledge of tree pests, diseases, and the benefits of pruning will subconsciously see an unkempt or unappealing exterior that will leave them with a negative opinion of the property as a whole.
Carrying out routine maintenance like annual pruning, insect and disease treatments, and removal of dead or dying trees and stumps will drastically improve the appearance of your house. Buyers who see beautiful landscaping will have a favorable opinion of your home and will likely subconsciously believe that the rest of the home — like the electrical and plumbing systems — are equally well cared for.
Ultimately, tree treatments and overall beautiful landscaping can make your home more aesthetically pleasing and safer, often increasing what buyers are willing to pay.