Bear in mind, I do not mean \u201cbad resident\u201d meaning they are a bad person, not at all, what I mean is that they do not necessarily conform to standards that are conducive to keeping a property occupied, and in good condition.<\/p>\n
Some people care for rental properties as if they were their own, others have an \u201capartment mentality.\u201d If an item is outside the walls they inhabit, it is not their problem. That is a challenge. Landscaping your rental is way low on their list of priorities.<\/p>\n
Starting Right \u2013 Landscaping Your Rental Property Yard<\/h2>\n
So, here we\u2019re traveling to just the front and rear yards. A rental rehab within is a given, and ought to be done right and complete each and every time; however yards tend to get neglected, sometimes since the house was built! I have done this. My rear patio slab is pretty much my backyard, aside from the lawn and garden.<\/p>\n
Landscaping Materials You\u2019ll Need
\nFirst, let\u2019s get the front yard out of the way. The least expensive installation for a front yard is grass. The clear majority of our owners use this in the front and the rear of the house. In all, the options are many, such as:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Grass<\/li>\n
- Decomposed granite<\/li>\n
- Bark of various colors<\/li>\n
- Rock<\/li>\n
- Astro-turf (Just don\u2019t.)<\/li>\n
- Various combinations of schemes above, along with plants, trees, shrubs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Grass we have already covered, so decomposed granite, what can it do for you? How about this?\u00a0Decomposed granite can be used in combination with grass and plants to make an easy-care yard, front, or rear.<\/p>\n
Bark and Rock Combo with Plants are a low maintenance solution and warmth comes with a bark and rock combination.\u00a0 How much of each? Generally, we find a mix of 65% rockscape to 35% plants\/grass. The rockscape is cost effective as well as minimal maintenance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not make a yard all rock?\u201d Not all ideas need to get carried away. This will give you a cold, forbidding yard, simple as that. Having some grass will give the yard some color, some warmth.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll just skip AstroTurf because, yeah, no.<\/p>\n
The bottom line is creating a front yard that adds curb appeal and making a backyard that useful and attractive. Low maintenance is a bonus.<\/p>\n
How much does it cost to creatively landscape your rental property?<\/h2>\n
When it comes to landscaping your rental property, all yards are different, so there\u2019s that. You may have even gone online to some of those calculator websites, just as I did. One came back to me at around $29.9k, which is, like, no. I hopped out of that site and did more digging.
\nLet\u2019s assume we\u2019re discussing a property with a 1500 square foot backyard, which in my region is fairly common, minus one of the side yards, that is. My reasoning here is usually one side yard, like mine, is a walking path for entering the backyard. Plus, it breaks down by 500 square foot increments.<\/p>\nThe next assumption\u2026<\/h3>\n
The next assumption is that we\u2019re not going to go crazy. No water features. No pool grotto. No extensive brickwork. No concrete poured.
\nWe will have flex borders for the rock in an interesting design, and we will add some low water plants, such as succulents, to the rock areas, perhaps with drip irrigation.<\/p>\n- \n
- The grass areas will have sprinklers, so we will likely have to install or update a sprinkler system for the drippers, and the grass sprinklers.<\/li>\n
- We will use professional installation.<\/li>\n
- Rock ought to come in at $975. For border, drippers, drippers valves, time and labor, add $500.<\/li>\n
- Add a few succulents, $200 max.<\/li>\n
- Grass is pretty much dirt cheap. Don\u2019t use sod. It is quick and easy, but it costs a lot! Seed and cover the grass area, with Fescue and manure for $100.<\/li>\n
- Reworking the sprinkler system, figure $800 max.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So about $2500 for a 1500 square foot rear yard.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll call that a bargain if it keeps your resident in the home an extra two years!<\/p>\n
The answer to the question\u2026<\/h3>\n
It would seem that our fearless leader, Ron Sudman, was correct, \u201ca property with an icky yard will draw an icky resident.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what three decades in property management will teach you! Seriously, though, put yourself in the resident\u2019s shoes: if you drove up to a property and saw a dirt yard with overgrown weeds, are you even going to put the car in park let alone get out of the car? The answer is \u201cno,\u201d you would just drive on by and never give it a second thought.<\/p>\n
Another way to think about it is this: you go down to the local Tesla dealership, and you want to look at the latest and greatest model. The salesman tells you they have one on the lot and \u201cboy, it\u2019s a looker-on the inside.\u201d As you approach the vehicle, you are thinking to yourself, \u201cseriously, this can\u2019t be the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting before you is a car covered in mud from top to bottom. The salesman is trying his hardest to convince you to get inside the car; you will LOVE it once you step inside and just take it for a test drive.<\/p>\n
There is no way you are going to get in that car, who knows if the only thing holding it together is the dried mud!<\/p>\n
You say, \u201cno thanks\u201d and move on. This is exactly what happens when residents drive up and see an unkept or unlandscaped yard. They truly judge the book by its cover!<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed the information in this article, check out another article on Rental Property Yard Care,\u00a0Front Yards Without Grass: Now What?<\/a><\/p>\n
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