The Landscaping Investment Guide: How to Add Value, Curb Appeal, and Weekend Peace of Mind
You’re Not Just Upgrading a Yard. You’re Building Equity.
Homes with strong curb appeal sell for 7% more on average, according to the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. For a $400,000 home, that increase means up to an additional $28,000 at closing. That figure underscores what many homeowners overlook: landscaping has a measurable impact on property value and can significantly boost your return when it’s time to sell.
While kitchen and bathroom updates often dominate renovation discussions, the yard is the first thing people see. This first impression sets the tone for the entire property. When the landscaping is clean, intentional, and well-maintained, it creates a sense of pride and care that buyers and appraisers both respond to.
Landscaping can influence how quickly a home sells, how much attention it attracts, and how confident potential buyers feel when walking through the door. It adds visual polish while also signaling that the property has been thoughtfully maintained.
This guide highlights the most effective landscaping and hardscaping upgrades for increasing home value, improving curb appeal, and creating a space that works for your everyday life. You’ll also see how Degree Lawn & Landscape helps homeowners plan projects that are impactful, practical, and tailored to fit real needs and real budgets.
Where Landscaping Really Pays Off and Why Buyers Notice
Buyers form opinions within seconds of arriving at a property. A green lawn, clean edges, and tidy planting beds help create a strong and lasting impression.
These visible signs of care build trust. Buyers feel more confident in the overall condition of the home, and appraisers take note of the same cues. Strong exterior presentation contributes to stronger valuations and faster buyer interest.
High-Impact Front Yard Features That Signal Value
Strategic updates to your front yard can create a strong visual impression while reducing your weekly maintenance workload. Clean structure, thoughtful planting, and subtle design elements work together to improve curb appeal and communicate lasting value.
Defined mulch beds help organize the space and suppress weeds, which cuts down on time spent trimming or pulling growth by hand. Edging with stone, metal, or composite materials adds durability and creates clear boundaries between lawn and planting areas, giving the entire yard a neater appearance.
Foundation plantings with compact, low-maintenance shrubs such as boxwood, spirea, or dwarf hydrangeas add greenery and soften architectural lines without demanding constant attention. These choices offer long-lasting color and texture while keeping pruning to a minimum.
Adding or refreshing a walkway—especially one that leads directly to the front door—guides the eye, improves accessibility, and increases safety for visitors. Well-defined paths also help protect grass and beds from wear.
Even with a modest budget, front yard enhancements can signal that the home is well cared for. At Degree Lawn & Landscape, we focus on upgrades that create impact from the street and make day-to-day maintenance simpler for homeowners.
Your Backyard Has Untapped Potential
A thoughtfully planned backyard transforms underused square footage into livable, high-value space. It offers room to relax, entertain, and unwind, without expanding your home’s footprint. For many homeowners, this is where comfort and investment meet.
Functional outdoor spaces make daily life easier. Shaded seating and outdoor dining areas create welcoming places to relax and entertain. For families, added play space outdoors can reduce clutter indoors. Each element expands how the property supports real routines.
Upgrades like patios, outdoor kitchens, and fire features support everyday comfort while also increasing resale appeal. Buyers respond to spaces that feel complete and ready to use, and many appraisers now include high-quality outdoor living areas when evaluating a home’s value.
Hardscaping That Adds Real ROI (and Real Comfort)
Hardscaping shapes how a yard performs. It creates structure, defines purpose, and solves common issues that landscaping alone can’t address. Well-built features extend the life of your investment while cutting back on recurring problems.
A properly installed patio creates a flat, usable surface for dining and gathering, preventing damage to turf and minimizing mud or erosion. Walkways guide foot traffic through the yard, protect planting beds, and provide safe, dry passage across frequently used paths. Retaining walls offer support on sloped lots, helping manage water flow and prevent costly soil displacement.
Each of these elements adds value by increasing usable space and improving function. But just as important, they reduce future maintenance headaches. Hardscaping eliminates weak points where water collects, grass dies, or erosion begins. It’s a strategic investment that pays off in both daily use and long-term property protection.
At Degree Lawn & Landscape, we tailor every hardscaping plan to the natural layout of your yard. Our goal is to create lasting, low-maintenance structures that feel purposeful, perform well, and elevate how you use your outdoor space.
Landscaping Features That Support Your Lifestyle
Landscaping should look good, support daily routines, and stay manageable.
Low-maintenance choices allow your yard to stay tidy without requiring hours of upkeep. Native plants are well adapted to local conditions, so they need less watering, fertilizing, and pruning. Drought-tolerant options hold their color through dry seasons and reduce reliance on irrigation systems.
Layout also matters. Trees placed strategically near windows can provide natural shade that helps lower energy bills. Slopes can be shaped to direct water away from foundations and prevent pooling. Durable materials like stone, pavers, or composite edging hold up through all four seasons and minimize the need for frequent replacements.
At Degree Lawn & Landscape, we create outdoor environments that fit the pace of your household. Our plans prioritize simplicity, durability, and long-term satisfaction—so your yard works for you, not the other way around.
Why Landscaping Is a Smart Investment Right Now
Delaying landscape improvements may seem like the easier option, but waiting often leads to higher costs down the line. Soil erosion, foundation damage, and deteriorating features don’t pause. Addressing these issues early helps prevent larger repairs and preserves your home’s value.
Smart landscaping improves daily life through cleaner layouts and lower maintenance. If you plan to sell in the future, the improvements will already be in place to attract buyers and support a higher asking price.
At Degree Lawn & Landscape, we help homeowners build phased plans that respect budgets and timelines. We’ll identify what should be tackled now and what can be scheduled for later, so you never feel overwhelmed by the process.
Investing in your outdoor space supports your home’s structure, boosts resale appeal, and makes everyday living more enjoyable. The longer you wait, the more you may need to spend to catch up.
Plan Smarter, Build Better, and Feel Proud—With Degree
At Degree Lawn & Landscape, we approach every project with the goal of delivering lasting value. That means designs that look great, function well, and hold up over time. We work with homeowners to build spaces that reflect their priorities, stay within budget, and require less upkeep.
Our full-service landscaping includes everything from layout planning and plant selection to hardscaping and drainage solutions. We don’t push temporary fixes or unnecessary upgrades. We focus on well-executed improvements that create real results in appearance, function, and long-term value.
Whether you're ready for a major transformation or want to start with a few meaningful updates, we're here to help. Let’s build an outdoor space that improves your daily life and strengthens your investment in the place you call home.
