“One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” This old English idiom still turns up occasionally in conversation because the wisdom behind it holds. It suggests that what is beneficial or enjoyable for one person may be harmful or unpleasant for another. Keep this maxim in mind when you are thinking of adding a major outdoor feature to your home’s landscape. If you choose the wrong one, it can actually make your home harder to sell down the road.
Yes, you may adore the unique patio your cousin designed or the huge swimming pool that needs weekly maintenance, but someone else may not. Individual preferences can differ significantly, so it pays to look into the return on investment that you’ll get for different outdoor projects – especially ones that cost you lots of time and money.
Good landscaping can increase your home’s valuebut investing in the wrong areas can do just the opposite. Wondering if the new outdoor feature you are considering will diminish your house’s market value and make buyers think twice? Take a look at this list of landscaping features that actually make your home harder to sell before you dive into your next DIY project.
Outdoor Features That Make Buyers Think Twice
Most of us design our landscapes with our own preferences in mind. We don’t think that we might sell the place in a few years or, if we do, we figure that the new pool, patio, or grove of trees we planted will increase our property value. But that’s not always the case.
New features that are unusual or unique might not please others as much as they please you. And even luxury features like big swimming pools or elaborate gardens may deter buyers, since they can be high-maintenance landscaping. Smart homebuyers may walk away from any feature that requires significant upkeep.
These outdoor features can negatively impact the marketability of your home, so think twice before you add them to your landscape – buyers certainly will.
1. Elaborate Gardens
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Who wouldn’t like to stroll through gardens so glorious that they might have been part of a royal estate? Row after row of roses, an exotic fruit orchard…the list could go on and on.
If you are feeling flush, you might not care about the cost of upkeep for intricate formal landscaping. But in this day and age, you can’t assume that others have unlimited funds as well. Many homebuyers have to scrape together their down payments to purchase a new home. It’s hard to qualify for a good loan and interest rates keep rising.
That means that most buyers are looking for low-maintenance features, preferring meadow gardens that take care of themselves instead of grounds that need regular attention from a dedicated gardener. That means that an elaborate garden might put off potential buyers.
As an alternative, consider low-maintenance plantings. Meadows can be beautiful and don’t require mowing, which is definitely a selling point.
2. Swimming Pools
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If you live in a colder growing zoneputting in a swimming pool may not be a great idea. You can only use it for a month or two in the summer, making it a liability, rather than an asset. This is especially true for a potential buyer with small children because of the safety risks. Buyers may have to factor in removal costs.
Even in a hot climate, swimming pools do not take care of themselves, someone needs to maintain them, which can be an expensive and time-consuming job. A budget homebuyer might find the cost too much and prefer a place without a pool.
Consider reducing the size of the swimming pool you are installing or choose an above-ground pool, like this one from Walmartthat is easier to remove and move with you to your new house. This could tip a buyer in your favor.
3. Hot Tubs or Saunas
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Every potential negative that applies to swimming pools is also a consideration with hot tubs or saunas. Sure, some people love them. But some people do not. Both hot tubs and saunas are a little “niche,” so if you put in a hot tub and happen to find a buyer who loves hot tubs, you’re in luck. But the odds are against you.
Hot tubs and saunas also require regular cleaning and maintenance. They can break down, requiring expensive repairs, and they have a “shelf life.” Quality features can last for 15 years or more, but if you continue living in the house for a decade, new buyers might only have five years left before it’s time for replacement.
One great alternative to regular hot tubs and saunas is an inflatable hot tub, like this one from Walmart. Many of my friends in France have these. They inflate them during the summer, then store them away in winter. Inexpensive and practical.
4. Overly Customized Designs
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We’ve all seen photos of the cool, outdoor features that people have designed and installed in their landscape. Our eyes may bug out at the Bridgerton-themed garden or the custom-built outdoor kitchen in the backyard of some high society person. But it’s a different matter to consider buying a house with heavily customized features like these.
First, the features won’t appeal to every buyer. And second, most buyers will not have a lifestyle that makes a customized outdoor kitchen useful. They may wish they were the sort of person who has large dinner parties on the patio, but most of us aren’t.
Reducing the size and impact of your outdoor kitchen or patio will go a long way to improving your home’s salability. An outdoor grill and table – our Content Editor Laura loves the affordable patio table she just bought from Lowe’s – might be all you really need. Plus, many more buyers will be able to imagine themselves using those instead of that wood-fired pizza oven you’ve been eyeing.
5. Fancy Children’s Playsets
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Your young children may be clamoring to have a large playground in your backyard. There’s nothing wrong with indulging your kids, but playhouses can attract wasps. And, even more importantly, these larger structures and equipment may spook potential buyers.
Homebuyers without kids, or without the desire to have their backyard taken up by a big playset, may be put off by the idea. Removal costs are not cheap and then there’s the time and effort to replant the grass that died underneath the large structure.
Opt for a simple swing set like this one from Amazona home-built tree houseor a tire swing hung on the old oak tree. Your kids will get more exercise and more buyers will relate or be able to easily remove these structures. You’ll spend less money upfront and the removal costs will be minimal.
Other outdoor elements that can turn away buyers include sports courts, artificial grassniche decor, unkempt landscaping, damaged fencesand areas with poor drainage. These problem features are either too high maintenance, cost too much, or create safety concerns. Keep landscaping simple, timeless, and affordable for the best return on your investment.
