Landscape Design & Installation Advice | KD Landscape

How Landscape Maintenance Can Help - or Hurt - Your Commercial Property Resale Value

Written by Kevin Manning | Mar 28, 2024 4:30:00 PM

Keeping up with commercial landscape maintenance can have a tremendous impact on your property's resale value.

Even if you’re not looking to sell right now, you should still make sure you are maintaining the landscape in order to maintain your property’s long-term value.

Jump to Section

Landscaping for curb appeal and value equates to making a good first impression, reinforcing your brand, and attracting and retaining tenants. These are critical, whether you’re selling now or not.

In this article, we’ll answer some of your most commonly asked questions about commercial landscape maintenance and property value. Making smart choices about your landscaping can pay off significantly.

How Does Commercial Landscape Maintenance Affect Property Value?

Commercial landscaping directly impacts perceived value, curb appeal, and buyer confidence.


A well-maintained property signals strong management, lower deferred maintenance, and reduced immediate capital expenditures. It also enhances tenant attraction and retention, which supports income stability and overall valuation.

Can Bad Landscaping Reduce Property Value?

Yes, poorly maintained landscaping can reduce property value.

A poorly maintained landscape can signal neglect, pose safety risks, and suggest hidden infrastructure issues, such as drainage problems or root damage. Overgrown vegetation, dead plant material, cracked walkways, and failing irrigation systems can lower buyer interest and reduce negotiating power during a sale.

It’s important to keep in mind that letting your commercial property fall into disrepair can mean costly expenses to “catch up.” Plus, the damage to property value during that time can be costly. You might deter potential future buyers from even considering your property.

Commercial landscape maintenance is more than just cosmetic. It’s an investment in overall value.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Investing in Commercial Landscape Maintenance?

You can anticipate multiple benefits from investing in professional commercial landscape maintenance. Even if you are not selling now (or in the near future), you can benefit from improving your landscape.

Some ways investing in commercial maintenance can help your property include the following:

Improved Atmosphere

If your commercial property looks messy, your customers will notice. It can result in a negative perception. But a well-maintained commercial property has a positive atmosphere and becomes a place where people like to spend time.

Commercial curb appeal landscaping creates a positive atmosphere for your customers, making a lasting impression before they even enter your business. This translates into your company being perceived as more polished and professional.

Enhanced Safety & Security

Safety is a key component of maintaining 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.

Keeping overgrowth in check can enhance visibility, while incorporating lighting can make the space safer to navigate. Managing water flow and drainage on your site, as well as promptly removing snow and ice, helps prevent falls, floods, and building damage.

Better Curb Appeal

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 potential customers to think you run an unorganized operation.

Curb appeal builds trust, increases visibility, draws traffic, and helps your company stand out from competitors.

Which Landscaping Projects Increase Resale Value the Most?

You obviously want to know which landscape tasks for selling a business should be areas of focus. Projects that improve safety, functionality, and visual impact typically add the most value.

These include professional tree pruning or removal, updated planting beds, improved drainage systems, refreshed mulch and turf areas, repaired hardscapes, upgraded irrigation systems, and enhanced entry features.

When landscaping for resale value, keep in mind that improvements that reduce future maintenance costs are especially attractive to buyers. These types of projects directly impact profitability, risk control, and predictability…all things that would be highly valuable to future buyers.

Again, even if you are not planning on selling now, it’s worth maintaining your property with future property value in mind.

Which Landscaping Projects Does a Commercial Property Need?

The exact landscaping projects that will benefit your commercial site the most are specific to your property.

However, at a minimum, every commercial property should have proper drainage infrastructure, safe pedestrian access, maintained tree canopies, clear sightlines for traffic, ADA-compliant walkways, functional irrigation, and a structured maintenance plan.

Green buffers and well-defined entrances are also important for compliance and presentation.

It’s important that your commercial property is not only aesthetically pleasing but also safe, secure, and highly functional. You should ensure your investment in commercial landscape maintenance supports all of these factors.

How to Improve a Commercial Landscape Before Selling?

When landscaping for resale value, focus on visible impact and risk reduction. Clean up overgrowth, remove dead or hazardous trees, refresh mulch and plantings, repair sidewalks and curbs, correct drainage issues, and ensure irrigation systems function properly.

Conducting a professional site audit before listing can identify liabilities and allow you to address them proactively, increasing buyer confidence and perceived value.

Choosing Commercial Landscaping in Greater Chicago

Maintaining a great-looking commercial landscape requires planning improvements, staying on top of maintenance, and keeping a close eye on all areas of your site to ensure tasks don’t get overlooked. It can be a lot to handle on your own.

But calling in a grounds management professional for commercial landscape maintenance in Greater Chicago can help take these tasks off your plate, ensuring your landscape looks consistently well cared for, enhancing plant health and property safety, and saving you time and money.

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 is missed, and we can even provide suggestions on how you can use your budget to enhance your property value.

Want to learn more about our commercial maintenance services for your Greater Chicago facility? Get started today with an on-site consultation. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice.