Selling Houses By the Yard: By June Fletcher

Selling HousesBy the Most homeowners know that replacing the roof or upgrading siding can enhance a house's curb appeal and boost its sales price. Now, as the housing market continues to weaken, some people are considering what the payback will be if they invest in things that appraisers routinely overlook: flowers, shrubs and trees.
Real-estate agents say a nicely landscaped property can have a pronounced effect on the asking price of a home, depending on the region and the condition of the neighbors' yards. Doreen Drew recently sold a house in Anthem, Ariz., that had sculpted hedges, a lush lawn and a backyard waterfall for $1.1 million, nearly twice the asking price of a similar home nearby with a plainer yard. Bill Good, a broker in Colorado Springs, Colo., says he just sold a house with newly planted mature bushes and fresh sod in the front yard for $1.225 million; previously it had languished on the market for more than a year at $1.175 million. In Palm Beach County, Fla., homes with colorful flowers and tall palms typically sell for 10% to 15% more than those without these features, according to agent Nancy Macaluso. That's why she'll often lug huge potted plants to the homes of clients whose greenery needs a boost. "It makes a difference," she says.Kathleen Wolf, a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, recently reviewed several regional studies that used appraisals or sales data to analyze the impact of trees on single-family home prices. She found that, overall, a lot with trees adds about 7% to a home's price. Nearly 20% of buyers say they consider landscaping to be a "very important" factor in their decision to buy a house, according to a new study by the National Association of Realtors. From The Wall Street Journal Online