The Southern Landscape Lighting Systems team designs and installs custom outdoor lighting to accentuate features of the home, landscaping, subdivision entrance, or business. They offer the highest quality products, professional design, installation, and continuing service support for their customers.
Landscaping, curb appeal, lighting, and professional landscape photography add significant value to a home. Headed into the fall of 2020, the median listed price of a home in Acworth, GA, is $298,000. Using this figure as a benchmark highlights the advantage of capturing all the available value a home has to offer.
Cash in on the Landscaping
A well-landscaped home has a significant price advantage over a home with minimal landscaping. The range of the price advantage is from 5.5 percent to 12.7 percent. Factors affecting the actual bottom line include the quality of the landscaping and the original value of the home. On a $300,000 home, the added value translates into an extra $16,500 to $38,100 in value on a $300,000 home.
Upgrade the Softscape
Softscaping, an aspect of real estate landscaping, can add as much as 15 percent to the value of a home. Softscaping involves the strategic addition of trees, plants, shrubs, and flowers to add texture, color, and interest to a property. Softscaping a minimal landscape can contribute sustainable improvements to a property. The softscape strategy is affordable, efficient, and provides a strong ROI.
Protect the Investment
A well-landscaped home must also be well-maintained. Otherwise, the visual aesthetic that contributes so much to the home’s value is forfeited. Maintenance would include such items as:
- Luscious, green lawn
- Edged beds, walkways, and driveway
- Fresh mulch in clean beds
- Trimmed and shaped shrubs and trees
- Pressure-washed sidewalks, driveways, steps, patios, and decking
- Fresh paint or stain on fences, decks, the backyard playground, and outbuildings
- Functional, clean water features: ponds, waterfalls, and fountains
Focus on First Impressions
Curb appeal refers to the first impressions people have when they first see a home. Some indications are that first impressions form within thirty seconds. Other researchers think it takes only five to fifteen seconds. A study at Princeton University found that first impressions were formed in about one-tenth of a second. Visual first impressions are four times more impactful than other stimuli, and a negative first impression may require up to eight positive encounters to overcome.
How valuable are first impressions when a homeowner is trying to sell their home? Priceless! Homes with excellent curb appeal tend to sell on average for about 7% more than similar houses with a bland exterior, according to a joint study by the University of Alabama and the University of Texas at Arlington. Prospective buyers are more likely to do a walkthrough at a home with great curb appeal, and a home with great curb appeal will sell more quickly too.
The focus of curb appeal is the front of the home, the front yard, and the driveway. The backyard may be a magnificent demonstration of landscape architectural genius, but if the front yard is boring or unkempt, then the damage is done. A fabulous backyard usually cannot erase the bad memories of the front yard.
Here are some elements that accentuate curb appeal:
- An awesome front door with a stunning overhead light
- Clean and edged driveway and front walkway
- Tastefully displayed street numbers
- A well-appointed mailbox
Spotlight the Beautiful
Regardless of whether plans are to sell a home in the near future or not, increasing its value is desirable both for the homeowner and the neighborhood. A well-planned and well-executed residential landscape design adds up to 20% to a home’s value. Landscape lighting extends curb appeal beyond sundown. A brilliant lighting plan will strategically feature the key elements of the well-designed landscape and amplify the aesthetic warmth and charm of the setting.
Capture the Value in Images
Homeowners and realtors should capture the value of the beautiful home, the well-designed landscape, the curb appeal, and the elegant lighting in images and video. Professional real estate photographer Ben Accinelli states, “Homes that use a professional photographer for their listing on average sell $11,000 over market value and sell 50% faster than homes with standard photos. Studies have shown that 98% of homebuyers judge whether or not to walk through a property by first seeing the listing photos online.”
Enjoy the Results
The amazing lighting designs that emanate from the design genius of the professionals at Southern Landscape Lighting Systems in Acworth are accessible on their website for perusal. The online portfolio features stunning photography of some of the best installed lighting designs in the industry. Homeowners and businesses that enlist the services of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems have access to the professional images of their own landscape lighting design installed and shining brilliantly. Utilize these images to capture the value of the home under lights.
To inquire about landscape lighting designs, consultations, evening demonstrations, upgrades, and repairs, contact the office by phone at (678) 324-6842 or email [email protected].