Selling Your Commercial Property Soon? Time to Update Landscaping
Commercial properties rely on good landscaping in many ways. Landscaping improves the appearance of the property while making it more user-friendly for customers and workers. Landscaping is also essential for curb appeal.
If you’re planning to sell your commercial property sometime in the next year, not only should you consider staging a vacant commercial space, but it might be time to install new landscaping. Updated landscaping can make your property easier to sell, thus increasing your profit.
Most plants look best after they’ve been given a chance to become established and thrive in their new location, so the earlier you can get started on this project, the better.
Install Low-Maintenance Plants
Most business owners have little time to spend on shrub and plant maintenance. Some kinds of plants need more attention than others. The best plants to install on a commercial property are the kind that grow slowly (and thus need little pruning), need little water once established, and produce little or no debris to be cleaned up. For example:
- Boxwood. These slow-growing shrubs are easy to shape and sculpt, will thrive in a variety of light conditions, and once established are very drought resistant.
- Azaleas. These easy to care for shrubs produce colorful blossoms every year, and require no dead-heading after blooming is over.
- Hostas. These attractive plants come in a variety of colors, come back year after year, and grow well in low-light.
- Ornamental grasses. These plants grow tall and provide a rustic appeal.
If eco-friendly features are important to you, install native plants to save water and promote a healthy natural environment. Once established, native plants often need little supplemental watering to keep going.
Use Mulch
Mulch reduces your property’s watering requirement by trapping moisture in the ground. Mulch also helps plants thrive by keeping their roots cool. It is used extensively on commercial properties to control weeds and provide an attractive filler between landscaping features. It comes in different colors and can be made from different materials, so you can choose a type of mulch that works well for your property.
Install Professional Sprinklers
Unless you use xeriscaping to reduce your watering needs, you’ll need professional sprinklers to water your landscaping and keep it healthy. Work with a licensed landscape contractor to have this installation performed, to ensure that the sprinkler is installed to code.
When seeking a contractor, check references and credentials before signing a contract, to ensure that the person you hire is right for the job.
Shade Your Parking Lot
Parking lots can be hot, unpleasant places in summer. You can make your parking lot more comfortable by planting trees. Trees need wide containers to contain their roots and keep them healthy. Smaller trees are easier to plant in parking lots than larger trees, because they need smaller containers and less space to spread out under ground.
Work with your landscape designer to ensure that the tree you choose is appropriate. Flowers and fruits can create a mess in your parking lot at certain times of year. Know what you’re planting and what kind of debris that tree will shed over your property throughout the year.
Avoid planting trees that drop large, round seeds (like sweet gum) or large, hard nuts (like walnut). The debris from these trees can become a tripping hazard that can lead to customer accidents.
Establish Pathways
People will take the shortest route to reach the front doors of your commercial building, whether you want them to or not. In some cases, this means they will walk through your landscaping, thus damaging what you’ve planted.
Installation of thoughtful, attractive pathways can help make your property more desirable to buyers. Pathways should be made of durable materials like paving stones. Install numerous pathways to ensure that customers from all around the property will be able to find a convenient pathway for them.
Work With a Landscaping Professional
The best way to ensure that your landscaping will attract buyers when your Dakota County commercial property is put up for sale is to have it installed by a landscaping professional. Work with your landscaper to produce a functional, thoughtful design that will be low maintenance for you, and attractive to buyers.
Work with a real estate professional as well. Your real estate agent can help you devise new ways to make your property worth more when the time comes to put it up for sale. Start meeting with a real estate agent months before putting the property on the market. Your real estate agent can give you suggestions that can help make your property more valuable to buyers.
