How Trees Increase Home Value in Texas
Texas homeowners typically understand that major renovations like replacing flooring or redoing the kitchen tend to boost home value significantly. Many opt to carry out repairs like this just before selling their home in order to fetch the highest price possible. What many people don’t know is that the trees on their properties can have just as significant of an impact on home value.
Below, we’ll discuss the types of trees that have the biggest impact on home value and the importance of tree maintenance in Texas if you’re looking to increase property value. We’ll also provide some average pricing for tree services to help you decide if they’re worth the investment.
Which Trees Boost Home Value in Texas?
Most trees will add some value to your Texas home, provided they are properly maintained. Below are some of the trees that are most appealing and valuable throughout the state.
Shumard Red Oak
This variety of oak tree has a uniform canopy that looks well-kempt with relatively little maintenance. It will instantly add some elegance to your yard, and the rich red colors in the fall are astounding. Best of all, this oak tree can thrive in hot, humid climates like Texas.
Japanese Blueberry
Although the blueberries from this tree aren’t edible, they provide some natural beauty along with the delicate white flowers that bloom in the spring. These trees are very low maintenance, so educated buyers will understand that the beauty and privacy they provide don't come at much of a cost.
Southern Live Oak
The Southern Live Oak is one of the most popular landscaping trees in Texas for two main reasons. First, the canopy is dense and lush, providing plenty of shade and a bit of privacy. Second, and most importantly for many homebuyers, these trees require almost no care once they are established.
Crape Myrtle
Finally, the Crape Myrtle provides plenty of natural beauty to your landscape with its vibrant flowers that persist through the entire summer. This tree serves to add privacy to your property as well, which has been shown to increase property value. The Crape Myrtle stands up to the extreme Texas weather beautifully and will cause very few issues for your prospective buyers.
Why Tree Maintenance Is So Important
It’s not enough to plant trees on your property and expect your home value to go up instantly. Unappealing or dying trees can detract from the value rather than add to it, so you need to ensure you carry out routine tree maintenance as well. Below are the most vital services to ensure your trees are healthy and vibrant.
Annual Pruning
Annual pruning services are among the most important because they have the biggest impact on your trees and the value they add to your home.
A professional pruner will shape the tree’s canopy to give it a manicured and appealing appearance, remove dead or dying branches that waste the tree’s resources and detract from the visual appeal, and thin out the canopy to allow sunlight to penetrate to the lower branches, helping the tree look fuller.
Buyers who see trees that are well cared for will subconsciously think that the rest of the home is cared for as well. They’ll be less likely to believe there are impending issues with the house, like HVAC or plumbing problems.
Additionally, if your home has good curb appeal because of properly pruned trees, buyers will go into the showing with a favorable opinion of your house. They might be more likely to overlook minor imperfections because your maintained trees get them to see your home in a positive light.
Annual pruning services typically cost around $125-175 per tree in Texas, and most homeowners find that this is well worth the investment.
Pest Treatment
Texas is home to many tree pests, including tree scale, aphids, cankerworms, leaf miners, and the emerald ash borer. These insects tend to attack weak and unprotected trees, quickly killing off branches or limbs or the entire tree in a short amount of time. When Texas tree pests attack, the visual appeal of your trees is very likely to suffer.
If your trees have been infested with insects, educated buyers may recognize the signs of the issue — including holes in the bark or leaves, dead branches, and wilting — and recognize that they will be responsible for the treatments if they choose to buy your home. The idea of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on reactive tree treatments will likely deter many buyers and decrease the value of your home, in their opinion.
Even if a buyer isn’t aware of the specific symptoms of pest infestation, invasive insects will almost always make your trees less appealing. With infested trees and a poor curb appeal, buyers will now be viewing your home with a negative opinion rather than a positive one.
Preemptive pest treatments can cost a few hundred dollars once a year but can add thousands to your home value.
Disease Prevention
Finally, there are a number of tree diseases common throughout Texas, including anthracnose, root rot, leaf scorch, leaf spot, and Dutch elm disease, among many others. Tree diseases have a similar effect to insects: they slowly kill the tree and make it look very unappealing in the meantime. You may notice wilting, damaged leaves, missing bark, or mold growth on the trunk or exposed roots.
Some buyers seeing these symptoms may recognize that they’ll be on the hook for treatment post-closing and ultimately pay less for your home. Even those that don’t know what these symptoms mean will likely have a negative opinion of your home leading into the showing and will be more likely to harp on minor details that aren’t to their liking.
Disease prevention applications usually cost around $80 two to three times a year, but they can have a massive positive impact on your home value.
Wrapping Up: How Tree Maintenance Boosts Property Value in Texas
Well-maintained trees can go a long way in boosting your curb appeal and home value. Annual pruning, pest prevention, and protection from diseases will increase the natural beauty of your property, provide privacy, and promote a positive buyer opinion of your home.
