10 West Hawaii Real Estate | June 22, 2018
Outdoor remodeling projects offer financial returns and owner satisfaction
Home and commercial
property owners looking
to take on a remodel
should consider undertaking
an outdoor project, according to
the National Association of Realtors’
and National Association of Landscape
Professionals’ 2018 Remodeling
Report: Outdoor Features.
The report takes a deep dive into
13 outdoor residential projects and 10
commercial property projects, highlighting
the reasons why property
owners complete these projects, the
value - both financial and emotional
- that these remodels bring, and the
increased happiness the finished projects
bring homeowners.
“Realtors understand that a home’s
first impression is its curb appeal, so
when it comes time to sell, a wellmanicured
yard can be just as important
as any indoor remodel,” NAR
President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a
sixth-generation Realtor from Columbia,
Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX
Boone Realty, said. “Even homeowners
with no immediate plans to sell
can gain more enjoyment and satisfaction
from their home by taking on a
project to revive their outdoor spaces.”
When asked which outdoor
projects produce the most substantial
financial payouts at resale, Realtors
ranked standard lawn care service at
the top, which recovers 267 percent
of the project cost at resale. Next,
Realtors named landscape maintenance
and tree care, both recovering
100 percent of the cost at resale, and
installing an irrigation system, recouping
86 percent.
When it comes to the enjoyment
homeowners gain from these projects,
a fire feature and irrigation system tied
for first, both receiving a perfect joy
score of 10; joy scores range between
1 and 10 and higher figures indicate
greater joy from the project. Eightythree
percent of homeowners who
installed a fire feature said they have
a greater desire to be home since
completing the project, and 69 percent
of homeowners who installed an
irrigation system said they feel a major
sense of accomplishment when they
think of the project. The next most
appealing projects were a new wood
deck (joy score of 9.8), a water feature
(9.8), statement landscaping (9.7) and
an overall landscape upgrade (9.6).
“This report validates that landscaping
is an investment worth making,
offering the immediate benefits
of increased enjoyment of your property,
as well as desirable long-term
value that holds if or when it comes
time to sell,” Missy Henriksen, vice
president, public affairs, NALP, said.
“From lawn and tree care to installing
a new fire or water feature or landscape
lighting, there’s no shortage of
opportunities to enhance your landscape
and to reap the benefits these
upgrades provide.”
This year, the report also covered
outdoor projects for commercial
properties. The report found that
43 percent of Realtors® have suggested
a commercial client improve
the curb appeal of a property before
listing it for sale. The most frequently
recommended projects are standard
lawn care (39 percent), completing
a landscape management service (27
percent) and an overall landscape
upgrade (26 percent).
“It is not just homeowners that
need to think about curb appeal
when it comes time to sell; a beautiful
exterior is just as important for commercial
property owners. In fact, 81
percent of Realtors said they believe
curb appeal is important in attracting
a buyer,” Mendenhall said.
The National Association of
Landscape Professionals is the trade
association for the landscape industry,
which employs nearly 1 million landscape,
lawn care, irrigation and tree
care professionals who create and
maintain healthy green spaces for the
benefit of society and the environment.
Member companies specialize
in lawn care, landscape design and
installation, landscape maintenance,
tree care, irrigation and water management
and interior plantscaping.
The National Association of
Realtors is America’s largest trade
association, representing 1.3 million
members involved in all aspects of
the residential and commercial real
estate industries.
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