Trees increase property value In short, the proximity of beautiful, healthy trees directly affects property value. Good tree coverage increased property prices by approximately 7 percent in residential areas and 18 percent in building lots. Quality landscapes with healthy trees can increase retail spending by 9 to 12 percent. The good news for gardeners is that most mature, healthy trees will add value to a property.
As sociologist Kathleen Wolf points out in an article (opens in a new tab) for Arborist News, “houses with trees are generally preferred to comparable houses without trees, and the trend according to studies is a price increase of about 7%. The imposing trees on your property provide more than beauty: they increase the value of your home. In the listing description itself, describe the unique and positive aspects of your trees, such as a recent health certificate from a tree evaluator, the age of the tree, or any unusual and sought-after tree species that adorns the property. The exact premium a tree can offer depends on many factors, such as where it is planted, the appearance and condition of the tree and its maturity.
After the first year, many types of trees benefit from additional tree fertilizers, such as a multi-purpose plant food, to supplement nutrients naturally present in the soil. According to the International Magnolia Society, magnolia trees are valuable because of their lush green leaves and fragrant flowers that appear in white, pink, purple, red, or yellow, depending on the type of tree or shrub planted. While many residential trees will thrive for 10 to 20 years or much longer, damage caused by diseases or storms kills trees and makes them unsafe to have near your home. Fruit trees are very valuable, and if cherry, plum, or apple trees thrive where you live, you can't go wrong with a mini-orchard (or even just one tree).
Much of this method is based on determining the “condition class” of the tree; basically, a healthy and thriving tree will always add more value than one that is sick or generally in poor condition. The bottom layer should look green if the tree is alive, and it will be brown and dry if the tree has died. Mackintosh, for example, once sold a house with a very old ginkgo tree that was considered to be one of the oldest ginkgo trees in Maryland. A beautiful, mature tree isn't just one of the best ways to add value to your home: trees add aesthetic value to any backyard or front yard.
When you have time on your side, young trees will be your best option, as they will offer you an economic initial cost that will cause the value of your property to increase much more as the tree matures. If a tree blocks most of your home's natural light, increasing energy costs, an alternative solution to eliminating it would be to prune the trees.
