How Landscaping Can Increase Residential Property Values in California

Lara Hermanson

If you look on Zillow or Redfin these days, you may notice a new feature homeowners are touting alongside open-plan kitchens: landscaping. According to the National Association of Realtors®, 92% of real estate professionals recommend that sellers improve the curb appeal of their home, including landscaping, to boost the sale price.  

Farmscape’s garden design, installation and maintenance teams will partner with you to create beautiful and functional California landscapes that can increase your home’s value. Our highly eco-friendly landscapers put together this guide to help you understand how great garden design can elevate your property today and maximize your rate of return — a win-win! 

Outdoor features like walkways, professional lighting, established fruit trees and raised garden beds are especially enticing to homeowners who want to live the California dream of growing fresh produce and living a healthy lifestyle. If you’ve always wanted to add these elements to your home, there is a terrific upside, as professional landscaping not only transforms your property aesthetically but can also increase its price tag up to 15%. 

First impressions matter when it comes to selling your home. In order to boost your home’s appeal, we often suggest adding fragrant perennial wildflowers and citrus trees to draw buyers in. After all, nothing says California like the scent of lemon blossoms wafting in from your front yard landscaping. Another improvement we recommend idea is removing heat-damaged turf grass lawns and replacing them with drought-tolerant ground cover such as native bentgrass or Kurapia for a meadow-like feature that will stay greener in warm climates. Finally, by focusing on your entryway — using elements like a great gate, a welcoming front porch or artful potted plants — the Farmscape team can help you create a beautiful space to attract buyers. 

Attractive and functional landscaping in California can increase not only your sale price but your home’s salability — decreasing the amount of time your property  sits on the market. To see how this applies to edible gardens, Farmscape’s speciality, you don’t need to look any further than Agrihoods, in-demand new home communities that are built around farms as a central amenity. Farmscape provides landscape design, installation and maintenance services for these neighborhoods across California, including the Core Agrihood in Santa Clara, Patterson Ranch in Fremont and Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County. Agrihoods take a modern approach to landscaping in California, offering today’s buyer the fruits of our agricultural past with none of the hard work. 

It’s not just edible gardens and farms that can increase property value. Adding amenities like patios, decks, outdoor kitchens and firepits adds significant value to properties as well. Luckily, Farmscape’s garden design team are pros at creating versatile and appealing outdoor living areas that serve as extensions of the home, enhancing both usability and value.

What’s more, when gardens abound, all homeowners reap the rewards. Research indicates that proximity to well-maintained green spaces, such as community raised bed gardens, can boost the value of nearby properties. For example, in New York City, a study found that property values in neighborhoods surrounding a new community garden increased by 9.4% within five years of the garden’s opening. In addition to financial value, gardens contribute to community health by providing access to fresh, locally grown food. Why not secure this benefit by incorporating a Farmscape into your residential front or backyard design?

Our company was founded in 2009 by a group of expert organic farmers who wanted to change landscaping in California, one yard at a time. Since then, literally thousands of Californians have invested in Farmscape’s garden design, installation and maintenance services for their properties. We’re proud of the fact that our homeowner clients regularly feature our landscaping in their real estate photos — and of how many take us with them to their new property. 

But we know their loyalty is not just sentimental. Beyond boosting your property’s resale value, Farmscape is passionate about increasing your enjoyment of your home today, often adding tangible, cost-saving benefits. For example, our raised beds, when managed by our maintenance team, produce an average of 4 lbs of food per square foot annually, meaning most of our homeowners grow around 500 lbs of organic fruits and vegetables onsite each year. Our spaces also reduce water usage by up to 70% compared to lawns, thanks to drip irrigation. And our permeable hardscapes reduce flooding and runoff by allowing water to percolate into the soil. Offering this type of everyday value, paired with gorgeous aesthetics, is why we are one of California’s favorite landscaping companies.

When you’re selling your home, highlighting your landscape’s energy efficiency can help attract the right type of buyer — namely, one who’s willing to pay top dollar for eco-friendly backyard landscaping. As a sustainable landscaping company, we use several tricks to improve energy efficiency, like strategically placing deciduous trees to shade your home in the summer, while alternately letting in the sun in winter. Another great strategy we use is well-designed drip irrigation on a weather-synced timer. These timers automatically adapt to weather conditions and are smart phone-operated, allowing homeowners to track irrigation while traveling. In addition, we use permeable paving and advanced drainage systems to help minimize flooding and stormwater runoff on your property.

Hiring a highly skilled, maintenance-focused organic landscape service is a rewarding way to increase your home’s value while enjoying a beautiful outdoor space and growing delicious food. If you’re considering professional landscaping  companies, hire the team that matches your values around sustainability, and let Farmscape show you how to enhance the value of your residential property today!