Property sales are huge transactions. With the median home price in the Charleston area currently hovering around $370,000 and commercial property averaging $21 per square foot, even small percentage deviations in sales price can equal tens of thousands of dollars. Presentation–the way a property looks–can not just significantly add to or subtract from a property’s value; it can also make or break a big sale.
To use an analogy: Suppose you were being courted by a number of agencies for a fashion modeling job that paid $370,000 or $21 per step. Considering the potentially lucrative outcome and the nature of the job, would you think twice about spending $20,000 on a new outfit for the interviews? Of course not; presentation is everything in modeling. By the same token, would you think twice about spending a few thousand on a landscape design plan and landscape installation that could potentially add tens of thousands of dollars to the sales price of your property and make an immediate positive impression on buyers? The smart money wouldn’t.
John Gidding, host of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal”, recently told the Washington Post that a $20,000 investment in landscaping yielded a return of $200,000:
On a Curb Appeal project, I put in $20,000 and the sellers got $200,000 more than they had paid for the house just a year prior. The return was astonishing.
Landscape design is an investment that can yield an excellent return. And lasting positive impressions.
-Seth Mason, Charleston SC
