<font color=red>QUICK TIPS</font> Selling the Economic Value of Plants

Last week we provided a list of environmental benefits plants can provide. If those talking points weren’t enough of a sell for potential customers, here is a list of economic benefits, provided again by the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association, which could make the homeowners reconsider your services:

• Landscaping can add as much as 14 percent to the resale value of a building and speed its sale by as much as six weeks.
• A house that obtained an excellent landscape rating from a local landscaping professional could expect a sale price 4 to 5 percent higher than equivalent houses with good landscape appeal
• Homes with poor landscaping could expect a sale price 8 to 10 percent below equivalent homes with good landscape appeal.
• By spending 5 percent of the value of your home on the installation of a quality low-maintenance landscape, you could boost the resale value by 15 percent, earning back 150 percent or more of your landscape investment.
• Hedges raise property values by 3.6 percent, a landscaped curb by 4.4 percent and a landscaped patio by 12.4 percent.
• Properly selected and placed plants can lower home heating and cooling costs by as much as 20 percent.
• Computer models estimate that three properly placed trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in heating and cooling energy costs annually.
• A tree shading an outdoor air conditioner unit can increase its efficiency by as much as 10 percent.
• You can reduce air conditioning costs by 15 percent or more by adding a well-planned landscape. Shrubs and vines planted next to the house provide year-round insulation by creating an air space.

For more information, visit the FNGLA Web site.