Landscape professionals and Realtors found outdoor remodeling demand up during pandemic

WASHINGTON — Most Realtors (92 percent) suggest that sellers improve the curb appeal of their home before listing it for sale. Also, the largest shares of Realtors recommended that owners complete landscaping-related features before putting a home on the market, and those were among the top projects for which landscape professionals saw increased demand over the past year. These findings come from a report released recently by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

The 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features examines why homeowners complete outdoor remodeling projects, the value of undertaking these enhancements and homeowners’ increased happiness after completing an upgrade. The report covers project cost, Realtors’ estimated cost recovery and recommendation, and consumer experience, including a Joy Score.

“The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way Americans use their homes for daily living, relaxation and entertainment,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. “Homeowners have embraced their outdoor spaces — transforming them into oases with pools, patios, plants and greenery.”

The 11 outdoor features in the report include: fire feature ($9,000), in-ground pool addition ($90,000), irrigation-system installation ($6,000), landscape lighting ($6,800), landscape maintenance ($4,800), new patio ($10,500), new wood deck ($16,900), outdoor kitchen ($15,000), overall landscape upgrade ($9,000), tree care ($2,875) and standard lawncare service ($415).

Ranked on a scale of 1-10, the report found that consumers rated all 11 outdoor projects highly, with Joy Scores at 9 or above. The highest Joy Scores were for an in-ground pool addition (10), landscape lighting (10) and a new patio (9.9). Slightly lower Joy Scores were provided for an outdoor kitchen (9), tree care (9.3), standard lawn-care service (9.4) and an irrigation-system installation (9.4).

High Joy Scores did not necessarily correspond with Realtors’ estimate for high cost recovery. Interestingly, the least expensive project — standard lawn-care service — had the highest cost recovery (217 percent), followed by landscape maintenance (104 percent), an overall landscape upgrade (100 percent) and an outdoor kitchen (100 percent). In comparison, the lowest cost recovery was for an in-ground pool (56 percent), followed by a fire feature (56 percent) and landscape lighting (59 percent).

The largest shares of Realtors who recommended completing an outdoor project prior to selling a home were for landscaping-related projects, including landscape maintenance (74 percent), standard lawn-care service (53 percent) and tree care (44 percent). The shares of Realtor recommendations were the lowest for an in-ground pool addition (1 percent), outdoor kitchen (1 percent) and an irrigation-system installation (2 percent).

The outdoor projects that saw the most increased demand included an overall landscape upgrade (61 percent), landscape maintenance (58 percent) and a new patio (55 percent).

“It’s no surprise that nearly all Realtors and most homeowners place a high value on the curb appeal of a well-maintained yard,” said Britt Wood, National Association of Landscape Professionals CEO. “Healthy outdoor living and green spaces help the environment, increase home values, make communities more desirable, and improve people’s mental and physical health.”

COVID-19 PANDEMIC OUTDOOR REMODELING

For the first time, the report looked at outdoor remodeling demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among landscape professionals, most (92 percent) found increased demand for contracting outdoor features during the pandemic, and 79 percent cited that outdoor project scopes increased in size.

Realtors cited the highest increase in pandemic demand for an in-ground pool addition, landscape maintenance and a new patio (all 17 percent).

View the report online at nar.realtor/research-andstatistics/research-reports/remodeling-impact-reportoutdoor-features.