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Improving Commercial Property Values Through Landscaping

When it comes to taking care of commercial properties, way too many property owners and managers are overly focused on only maintaining the buildings they’re in charge of. Building maintenance is essential, but make sure you don’t overlook the grounds of your property or else you could be making a negative impression on visitors, customers, tenants, and potential buyers.

When visitors come to your property, if all they see is dead grass and a few trees, they’ll start making assumptions about your business based on that first impression. If your landscaping is neglected, they’ll assume that the buildings and businesses are also. When visitors are presented with attractive landscaping upon entering the grounds, they can sense the care and attention that you put into your commercial property.

Enhancing the landscaping of your commercial property not only creates a better impression on people, it also increases property value. In fact, well designed and maintained landscaping has one of the highest returns on investment when compared to other property improvement projects.

With benefits like these, there’s no good reason to continue putting your landscaping off. If you’re not sure what landscaping improvements will have the most impact or how to start the process, here’s a quick guide to help you out.

It’s Gotta Be Green

Making improvements to the landscaping of your commercial property doesn’t have to be complicated. The number one way to improve your business’s curb appeal and raise your property value is to keep the grass looking its best.

That doesn’t mean your maintenance crew has to spend every waking hour waiting for weeds to pop up to catch them before they spread. Producing a yard that your customers, tenants, and visitors will admire just requires:

  • Raking – Regularly remove leaves and other debris
  • Aerating – Pierce the ground so that water, air, and nutrients can better reach grass roots. This helps roots grow more deeply, creating a healthy, strong, lush green lawn.
  • Fertilizing – Feed your lawn the nutrients it needs every 6-8 weeks during the growing season.
  • Watering – The grass should be watered deeply and infrequently. Adopting this practice, instead of watering your lawn every other day, encourages greater root growth.
  • Mowing – Have the grass cut regularly, but don’t cut it too short. The shade created by taller grass helps to prevent the development of weeds.
  • Edging – If left to progress naturally, grass will start to creep into your sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, and flower beds, which creates an untidy appearance. Give your commercial property a clean, manicured appearance by trimming away excess grass at the edge of the lawn.
  • Pet Waste Management - If your greenery areas are adjacent to significant residential locations, then you might find your beautiful landscaping is being soiled by four-legged visitors. An agreement with a poop scooping service can be coordinated between you and the apartment complex to solve the situation.

Having your maintenance team care for the grass isn’t expensive, but it does require an investment of their time. If you prefer to have your maintenance crew attend to other matters, there are more options available; you could hire a reputable lawn-care professional to keep your landscaping looking its best.

If the grounds of your commercial property are in rough shape and you’re looking for a quick-fix, having sod installed might be a good option for you. This is especially true if you’re looking for new tenants or selling your commercial property soon and you need green grass fast. The cost of sod installation is relatively low considering how quickly you get the ideal lawn and the high return on investment.

Add Variety to Your Landscape

If your commercial property has grass and nothing more, it may be easier to maintain but it will leave your grounds looking plain and unappealing. Add a little more life and color to your landscaping by planting trees, flowers, and shrubs; that will make your commercial property look lively and inviting.

Trees

Adding a few trees to your grounds will make a huge difference when it comes to beautifying your commercial property. Most people prefer to visit areas with mature trees that provide shade while removing carbon dioxide and pollution. Trees are a unique asset because, unlike other additions to your property, they actually increase in value over time.

If the grounds of your property already contain mature trees, make sure that your maintenance crew takes proper care of them so they remain healthy. Trees need plenty of water in order to thrive so keep them watered and place mulch at the base to retain moisture.

Mature trees also need to be pruned to remove dead limbs and encourage growth, but be careful not to cut them back too much. Over-pruning can negatively affect a tree’s health, structural integrity, and appearance. If you have any doubts about your maintenance team’s ability to properly prune trees, contact a reputable local tree trimmer.

Flowers & Shrubs

When it comes to selecting flowers and shrubs for your commercial property, make sure that you have a thorough plant strategy in place. It’s best if you choose plants that are not just visually appealing, but hardy, low-maintenance, and seasonally balanced as well.

You’ll want your landscaping to look good year-round. Instead of selecting plants that only flourish in the spring and summer, choose a variety of flowers and shrubs including those that’ll remain attractive throughout the fall and winter. If you’re not sure which plants will work best for your specific climate, consult with your local garden center or a professional landscaper.

To make your flower beds even more visually appealing, have your maintenance crew spread mulch between the plants. Not only does the mulch create a more uniform and professional look, it also helps the plants hold onto moisture. Mulch is an inexpensive addition to your landscaping that will work to increase your property value.

Create an Appealing Outdoor Common Area

When it comes to the exterior of your business, healthy grass isn’t all that customers, employees, tenants, and prospective buyers are looking for. They want an attractive outdoor area that’s ideal for taking a break, enjoying the scenery, and socializing.

If your commercial property does not currently have an outdoor seating area, you might want to consider adding one. Patios, gazebos, and other seating areas are a good investment because they recoup more than the amount it costs to have them installed.

Outdoor areas with added functional or ornamental features recover even more of their initial investments. A pergola, dining area, or water feature is certain to increase the value of your property and impress visitors and tenants alike.

The ideal is to create a space that serves as an outdoor oasis. If you’re limited on how much you can invest and want to keep your upgrades simple, stick with adding some benches or a gazebo. Even with that straightforward upgrade, your commercial property value will increase.

Light It Up

With all that you’re doing to improve the aesthetic value of your commercial property, you don’t want to let all your beautiful landscaping work disappear when the sun sets. Add outdoor lighting to your landscape will make a lasting impression any time, day or night.

Lighting can be used to highlight the most attractive features of your property. For example, you can place focus on your gazebo by hanging lights from it or have a light directed at a prominent tree on your grounds.

Lighting is also functional; well-lit grounds allow people to locate your business more easily, discourages intruders, and makes visitors to your property feel safe.

Landscaping: An Investment Worth Making

Don’t let the condition of your landscaping keep you from finding tenants, attracting customers, or selling your property at a decent price. Your grounds have loads of untapped potential. Invest a bit of time, attention, and money into your landscaping, and you’ll soon be reaping the rewards.

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