For many homeowners and prospective homeowners, trees can be an important consideration when it comes to choosing their home and placing a value on it. For those who own a home, planting a tree can add quite a bit to the overall value of the property. Planting shortly after buying can give homeowners the joy of watching the tree grow and thrive while they live in the home, which is multiplied when that grown tree adds thousands of dollars to the sale price of their home. For prospective homeowners, tree can represent some place for their children to play, shade during the hot summer months, or in some cases, a headache in terms of cleaning up leaves and dropped nuts or fruit. Read on for a Realtor's analysis of the benefits of trees on your property.
Trees Add Value
Trees, especially deciduous hardwood trees, can add substantially to a home's valuation. Because they take so long to grow, many new homeowners don't want to have to plant a young tree and wait decades for its shade and beauty. They'd rather purchase a home with a well established tree in the lawn or the backyard. Oak trees and maple trees are often favorites, given that they have long lives, strong trunks, and minimal dropage during their fruiting seasons. Oak trees may drop acorns, but they often skip years. Additionlly, acorns can be very simple to clean up. Either leave them for the local squirrels or rake them up once they're done dropping.
Flowering Trees Add Beauty
While the most ornamental trees can require a little extra clean up and annual work on the part of its owners, the payoff can be huge. Have you ever seen (or smelled, for that matter), a magnolia tree in bloom? Have you had the joyful experience of knowing that the end of winter is nearly here because your ornamental Japanese cherry is in full bloom? Have you seen the profusion of delicate flowers that burst out in late June from Northern Catalpa trees? Needing to rake up the fallen flowers or petals is a small price to pay for an annual display of beautiful flowers. All of these and more ornamental flowering trees can make buyers very excited about your property, if they view it in the right season. Note that taking pictures of the tree in full bloom can be helpful for off-season listings later in the year.
Trees Help Reduce Cooling Costs
As crazy as it sounds, having a well established tree in your yard can actually save you quite a bit in energy bills over the years. Green leafy trees provide shade and protection from the harsh summer sun every year, reducing the amount of heat your home and property absorb during the summer. In the fall, when their leaves drop, they open the space up, ensuring that the sun will reach your home during the winter to help heat it.