The competition between residential properties has never been higher. You’re losing money the longer you have space without renters and you’ll miss out on a chance to nab new residents if another property has even a slight edge on you. To be at the top of the heap of offerings and to draw in more people considering your space, at the very least, consider some of these residential property landscaping tips and trends to spruce up the outdoor space of your property so that people will be impressed before they even go inside.
Strategies to Boost Residential Property Landscaping
“Improved outdoor aesthetics can make a huge difference for a property’s value.” So, how would you say that your outdoor areas look as compared with other, local properties? People renting in urban areas especially value green space, but they don’t want to be look down at a mess of weeds and other plants that haven’t been trimmed or taken care of at all. To add curb appeal, you want to make these areas aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, though, doing some landscaping can add to your sustainability effort, which has additional appeal to most modern renters.
You likely don’t have the space for much of a lawn, so don’t worry about having traditional grassy spaces included in your rental property landscaping. Instead, consider some of the more modern choices, including “moss gardens or large planting beds with native trees and shrubs.” This way, you don’t need to worry about any size of lawn, which can be difficult to maintain regularly to keep it looking impeccable, and which, if not maintained that way, will likely have a negative impact on potential renters. The other options mentioned are much easier to take care of and provide “green space” without putting a lot of pressure on you.
Where stonework and other hardscaping features had once been the primary focus, plant life, including flowers and shrubs, have made a comeback in dominating the scene. Various nursery offerings now color the landscaping in many outdoor spaces and boost appeal in a big way. Who doesn’t like to see a variety of healthy, bright flowers that seem well-attended around a potential living space?
No matter where you are, conservation of water has become a nationwide issue. There may or may not be certain laws governing how much or how often you can water outside, but despite that, you can avoid any legal complications by utilizing “xeriscape,” or “zero-scape.” This trend in landscaping revolves around the implementation of native plants and features that are cost-effective and low-maintenance. It also “uses adaptable plant, tree and turf species to reduce maintenance, fertilization, and irrigation demand and to increase sustainability.” If you’re looking for a cost-effective landscaping solution while focusing on conservation of water, then this may be the route for your property.
Depending on where you live and what your “typical” weather patterns are like, you’ll probably have to think more seriously about where plants and trees are located if you’re adding new ones into the environment. This isn’t just for the health and well-being of the greenery, but also for financial and energy savings. For example, “deciduous trees are best planted on the west or south side of the home and can help control both summer and winter energy costs.” By simply researching planting locations for your residential property landscaping, you can do a lot of good both for the plants and for your business. This is something that many property managers may not think of!
It may not work out for every property, but a trend that you may consider employing, if possible, is the extension of “indoor living space into outdoor living quarters.” For instance, having an area with lounge chairs, coffee tables, and a fire pit would be reminiscent of a living room and would draw residents out to meet one another or simply to enjoy the communal space. You want them to feel at home not only in their unit, but throughout the building. If there is an area like this that people can relax in, then your residential property landscaping is on the right track.
Clearly, there are a number of ways that you can spruce up the outside space of your property both to please current and potential residents and to employ sustainability techniques. While a lot of your focus is outdoors, leave indoor focuses to a software that can handle some of the other parts of the business for you. Anton Systems offers training in Budgetrac’s Property Management Software so that you can increase operational efficiency, enhance your decision-making process, and much more. With this software solution, you’ll have more time than ever time spend improving aesthetics while letting Budgetrac take care of the less appealing side of property management.