How important are trees if you’re an Austin area realtor or homeowner?

Majestic Live Oaks. Tons of shade. Nestled among mature trees. Wooded landscape.

You’ve probably used words just like these to describe your own property listings. They’re important because the promise of welcome shade and graceful trees is a big plus for people in Texas.

This university study confirms that landscaping, include trees, adds value to property listings. In addition to adding value, you already know they improve the curb appeal.

“Results of this study indicate that a ‘good’ landscape adds, depending on the region of the country, anywhere from five to 11 percent to the base value of the home. The landscape attributes that contributed most to the increase in perceived home value were, in order, design sophistication, plant size, and plant material type”.

In a city like Austin with rising home values, the landscaping and trees can have a big impact on the final sale price. But sometimes trees can disappoint potential buyers and possibly cause the loss of a sale.

Don’t Take the Chance of Losing a Home Sale Due to Unhealthy Trees

Let me share a few relevant stories with you.

In the first story, a potential buyer loved property in western Travis County, especially the ten Live Oak trees – some of which were over one hundred years old. In fact, it was the deciding factor on this particular property.

He knew this species of oak is susceptible to Oak Wilt, so he wanted an arborist to check them out. We found no sign of the disease on these trees and could provide an affidavit of inspection stating the trees were presently disease-free. With peace of mind, the buyer completed the sale.

The second story went a little differently. The listing said “Beautiful family home with plenty of mature shade trees”. This attracted a young family that loved the yard and envisioned picnics under the trees with their loved ones.

However, a visit from an experienced and certified tree care service provider revealed that most of the trees were short-lived species nearing the end of their lifespan. One of the other trees had a severe case of root rot, and no young trees were coming up to take their place. The family’s vision of picnics in the yard wouldn’t have been a reality for long. Their realtor found them another property with healthy trees who still had many years of life remaining. Even though the property was more expensive, the couple decided it was well worth the extra cost.

Feel Confident With An Expert Tree Inspection

 Heritage Tree Care offers a free Tree Inspection Service to realtors in Travis, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell counties, whether you’re working with the buyer or the seller.

We deliver a complete verbal report to you and your client. All we ask is that you pass our contact information on to your client if we don’t have the pleasure of talking to them in-person.

Several Central Texas cities have ordinances to protect heritage trees. Buyers can get nervous about this, especially if they are considering a remodel or addition if there are protected trees on a property. We can talk to them about the process and reassure them they can generally complete the plans they have in mind.

Your Clients Love the Free Tree Health Check-up

When you have us do a Tree Inspection, you get peace of mind. We offer a walk-through of the property which will:

• Identify potential hazards
• Reveal significant diseases like Oak Wilt
• Assess tree longevity
• Determine which trees are protected by Tree Ordinances

If you and your client are on site during the inspection, walk with us and take notes. If needed, we are happy to provide a written report for a small fee.

Advanced Tree Evaluation

Hidden decay causes a lot of damage to mature trees. When there is internal rot, they are more susceptible to snapping and falling in heavy winds or precipitation.  Heritage Tree Care incorporates advanced decay detection methods, like tree tomography, into its inspection process to provide crucial insight.

Tomography uses either sound waves or electrical voltage to examine trees without injuring them. An experienced arborist interprets the readings which indicate whether the tree is healthy, is still safe but has some decay, or has internal severe decay and cavities.

The basic tree health care check-up and consultation are a complimentary service we provide to realtors. Advanced evaluations incur an additional fee. Give us a call today at 512-921-8452 to learn more about this service.