While Greater Chicago commercial properties may have a dedicated focus on the business taking place inside their buildings, making sure they maintain their landscapes is just as important to the bottom line.
In fact, neglecting your commercial curb appeal landscaping can actually lead to employees, guests, and visitors feeling like your environment isn’t safe, and it can even decrease the overall appearance and reputation of your business – not to mention increasing costs as a result of needed repairs and landscape renovations.
When it comes to boosting your facility’s curb appeal and property value, even the smallest aesthetic changes can have an immediate impact on your commercial business.Whether you work for a retail center hoping to bring in weekend shoppers or at a multi-family property hoping to create a memorable tenant experience or even an industrial property that needs safety and smooth traffic flow, you know that the value of a great looking exterior goes beyond just aesthetics.
How the outside of your commercial building looks can attract new customers and clients, retain tenants, reinforce your company’s brand image, and make your facility stand out against competitors. Additionally, refreshing your commercial building landscape could give your employees a productivity and morale boost.
You might think maintaining a commercial landscape is time-consuming and challenging, especially for busy business owners or property managers. We get it. Professional commercial curb appeal landscaping services can help take this task off your plate so you can elevate your property value without the extra hassle.
Let’s talk about the many ways high-quality commercial landscaping can help drive professionalism and value for your business.
A commercial facility with a visually attractive landscape appearance can have a huge advantage in attracting new business – whether that comes in the form of potential customers, new tenants, or increased visitor traffic.
Why does commercial landscape value matter so much? Because it amplifies your positive perception to others. The cliche about first impressions is true for businesses as much as it is for people. Visual appeal is essential in driving attention to your company and retaining that interest, ultimately boosting profits.
In fact, there’s a high return on investment when you opt for professional commercial landscaping, according to University of Washington research. Their data says facilities with well-maintained landscapes bring in 7% more in rental revenue, and customers may spend 12% more in retail centers with great landscaping – and they’ll even travel further to get there. When it comes to overall resale value, the University of Washington study says professional landscaping can increase it as much as 14%.
Here are the main reasons commercial landscaping and grounds maintenance amplifies curb appeal landscape value.
If your retail center has a messy appearance, your customers are sure to notice. In fact, it can result in a negative perception of your business, which can decrease shopping and – ultimately – profits. The same can be said for other types of commercial businesses.
Commercial curb appeal landscaping creates a positive atmosphere for your customers that makes an impact before they even enter your business. This translates into your company being perceived as more polished and professional.
Whether you believe it or not, improving commercial property value can actually have an impact on your employees, too.
How? First, well-maintained commercial landscapes improve employee happiness resulting in elevated productivity and job satisfaction, according to LabGov research, which says the presence of plants improves wellness by 15%, productivity by 6%, and creativity by 15%.
All of this also causes absenteeism to go down by 10%. When employees are happier, the research says there is an increase in a company’s sales by 37%, productivity by 31%, and a 19% increase in employees’ abilities to achieve business goals.
Amplify these results by adding and maintaining commercial landscape amenities like outdoor areas for your employees, such as patios or lunch spaces.
Professional landscape maintenance is also an opportunity to maximize curb appeal landscape value.
If you keep your facility neat and well maintained, it makes your property inviting and noticeable and shows your business cares about its appearance. An unkempt property, on the other hand, could lead to potential customers thinking you run an unorganized operation. Curb appeal builds trust, increases visibility, draws traffic, and helps your company stand out from competitors.
Safety is a key part of maintaining both the inside and outside of your Greater Chicago commercial facility. You want to keep your property neat and clean to make employees and visitors feel safe and maintain a positive reputation in your local community.
Trimming trees and shrubs helps increase visibility, which enhances safety. It also gives thieves or criminals fewer places to hide, reducing crime.
Managing water flow and drainage on your site and removing snow and ice in a timely fashion limits falls, floods, and building damage.
Adding landscape lighting and enhancing landscaping around signage and entryways makes your business easy to find and navigate for everyone who visits your site.
Another perk of professional commercial curb appeal landscaping is it helps decrease your costs, saving you OSHA fines and liability claims that can result if someone gets hurt on your site.
Increase your commercial landscape value and you’ll also enhance your sustainability initiatives, which amplifies your business image.
Managing stormwater, for instance, reduces runoff and limits erosion. And using sustainable techniques in your landscape, such as adding native plants, building rooftop gardens, and adding detention ponds to manage water, can also cut down on your overall maintenance costs by working with nature instead of against it and elevating plant health.
Maintaining a great-looking commercial landscape means planning out improvements, staying on top of maintenance, and keeping your eyes on all areas of your site to ensure tasks don’t get missed.
As you can see, the benefits of improving commercial landscape value are vast, but it takes a proactive plan and an attention to detail to do this right, increasing your professionalism and profits.
This can be a challenge to do on your own. That’s where calling in a commercial grounds management professional for commercial landscape maintenance in Greater Chicago can help take these tasks off of your plate, ensuring your landscape looks consistently well cared for, as well as amplifying plant health and property safety and saving you time and money in the process.
Let KD Landscape help. We can save you headaches and stress, while keeping your commercial landscaping looking top-notch. We offer a comprehensive list of services to ensure nothing gets missed, and we can even provide suggestions on ways you can use your budget to improve your property value.
Want to learn more about our commercial maintenance services for your Greater Chicago facility? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice.