Opinions on landscaping are like noses. Everybody’s got one. And they usually wait to express them until after you’ve done your annual landscaping plans. Improving the landscaping is one of the most popular reasons for homeowners to run for the board. They know best and the board doesn’t have a clue. In most areas where there are divergent and active opinions, it’s important to involve as many homeowners as possible in the process. Not everybody will be satisfied, but those who need to have their say will have it before the fact. People need to be heard. In fact landscaping has so many diverse areas that having a committee for the annual program makes good sense. Here are some of the areas the committee can cover.

Annual plantings           
There is usually an overall plan to maintain the general greenery that includes trees and shrubs. Adding some seasonal color in strategic places can really make a difference.  It’s what everybody notices and having the committee address those needs and examine the costs involved will give several homeowners the chance to express their taste and opinion in a positive way.

Irrigation           
Water usage is a major issue in all parts of the country. There are some communities on the West Coast where water sprinkler run-off is an offense punishable by city fines. Water is expensive and irrigation can have a huge impact on the common area water bill.  There are so many advances in technology in this field that it requires real study. Your neighborhood techie will have a field day examining all the options. There are satellite systems, regular clock oriented systems, computer systems that evaluate the ground moisture, systems that can tell if it’s raining or not and just as many different kinds of sprinkler heads. Give this chore to a detail-oriented person or group to look into. It will pay big long-term rewards.

Landscaping Manual           
Most communities have a Maintenance Manual for their building and its mechanical systems. The Maintenance Manual catalogs all the working equipment, identifies manufacturers, warrantees in place, service record and service schedules. It guarantees continuity in maintenance in an environment where board members change every year and the community manager can change every three or four years. Who is going to remember all the details? It makes sense. It also makes sense to have a similar book for your landscaping.

The first step is to catalog all the shrubs and trees. Then have a professional nursery person estimate replacement cost. You’ll be astounded at what your landscaping is worth, and the community will pay much more attention to the asset. Then write down the maintenance schedule for each item. When to water? When to prune? When is eventual replacement expected? It’s really part of your Reserve Study.

Pest Control           
Dealing with all the little folk that occupy your green space is a separate responsibility. Understand pesticide use and the liabilities involved for you the board member. Are there children in the community? Are there pets? Are they likely to be effected by pesticides? A regular program of pest control that addresses termite prevention and other ongoing threats is an integral part of your landscaping program. 

As you can see, there are plenty of details that need examining. There are usually plenty of people willing to contribute their time and opinion in this most visible area. Take advantage of your neighbors’ time. The more people who are involved, the less likely you are to have a revolution when the program is completed.

Evaluating your investment in “curb appeal”

Aside from “location, location, location” there is only one other constant in determining the market value of your home: curb appeal. That first impression the prospective buyer gets when approaching sets the tone for everything that follows.  The old axiom about judging a book by its cover is easily translatable to real estate.  Even the brainiest of us human beings are simple sorts when it comes to emotional reactions. First impressions are strongest and cosmetics are critical.  Investing a few extra dollars in the appearance of your community will return more dollars to your pocket when it comes time to sell. A $10,000 landscaping facelift at the entry to your association could translate into a $5,000 increase in market value for each of the 100-1,000 homes.   

Landscaping is more than just shrubbery and well-maintained lawns. It includes signing, irrigation, fountains, brickwork, tree-care, and pest control.  For hi-rises, “landscaping” can translate to Interior Decorating of the front lobby and common areas..

Signing can have a major impact on a newcomer.  The quality and tastefulness of the signing is the first subliminal message a visitor gets. The clarity and effectiveness of directional signing on the grounds creates another subtle impression. Visitors who get lost and confused are not happy people.  They would be less likely to want to live in a community where coming home is a mystical maze.  Making sure those signs around the property are large enough to read and concise in what they say is the first thing. Making sure they are freshly painted and properly displayed is an essential part of your preventive maintenance program, or should be.

Your irrigation system is a modern convenience we take for granted and often neglect.  The convenience and effectiveness of a mechanically timed system designed to cover all the necessary green areas is an example of life in these here United States.  A broken sprinkler head can turn that pleasant idyll into a costly nightmare. Broken sprinkler heads can cause a myriad of problems.  The area it’s supposed to cover goes dry and brown. Result is ‘ugly’.  A broken sprinkler head or line can cause an enormous waste of water. If you’re still living in the ‘50s when the cost of water was insignificant, welcome to the 21st century where it has become an expensive natural resource. Take a look at your water bill then your sewer bill to get a feeling for the losses you can incur from waste.  Now where does all this wasted water go? No place good, that’s for sure. It can create muddy areas of over-watering, sinkholes that swallow up small cars and large household pets, or puddle around the foundation of the building where it penetrates basements and first floor units.  A broken irrigation system is insidious and costly. Nobody wants to buy a home with a water problem. Here again we have a preventive maintenance situation. A regular inspection of all sprinkler heads should be standard operating procedure. Monitoring the water bills each month will also tip you off to any hidden problems in the lines.

Trees are enormous assets that are often overlooked.  Try shopping around for a replacement for a mature tree. You’ll realize that your landscape inventory of trees might well rival the value of the buildings themselves. Most landscapers are not arborists. They might have a familiarity with most of the trees on your property, but you deserve the advise of a tree-care professional at least once every two years.  While a healthy tree is an attractive asset that adds value to your property, a diseased tree is an eyesore and a safety hazard. The strong winds that we all know are coming can tear off a heavy limb or uproot a sick tree. Where it lands can be problematic.  A semi-annual check-up by a licensed arborist is another important preventive maintenance item often ignored.

Fountains and attractive masonry or brickwork are hallmarks of prestige properties.  The addition of an attractive aerating fountain can be a big plus as long as it’s properly maintained.  Well-designed fencing creates eye-appeal.  Walkways that are now concrete or macadamized might take on a whole new look if they were brick or cobblestone.  It generally will cost nothing to have a company come out and make a proposal for what they might do to enhance the curb appeal of your property through some selective fountains or brickwork.

Pest control can be the hidden danger that surprises you with overnight problems.  In New England it was grubs and the moles that ate them. Beautifully maintained lawns were destroyed in a matter of weeks.  Tens of thousands of dollars were required to replace them. In Florida there was a plague of army worms that left unsightly holes and craters in your lawn. California seems to have a pest a month that keeps all the pest control professionals on their toes.  If you don’t have a regular pest control contractor to look after your preventive maintenance areas, you’re inviting disaster. Nothing can be more dramatically expensive to replace than your landscaping. Keeping it pest free is relatively inexpensive as long as you keep up with it. Termite infestations are not the only house-killers. Leave it to the pros and avoid what could and will be a disaster for those left unprotected.

Most of the items mentioned can be dealt with at a very low comparative cost. Preventive maintenance is the key in almost every area.  “Comparative” is the key word.  To get an immediate understanding, just ask what the going rate for replacement sod is and then do a quick calculation on just one small area of your grounds. You’ll be up in the thousands of dollars in no time.  The cost of mature trees is stunning. Keep what you’ve got and consider a regular annual investment in improved shrubbery, fencing, or other decorative plantings that add so much to the eye appeal and the resultant market value of your home.  The math is easy.

The landscapers that serve our community associations offer many different services ranging from landscape architecture & design, maintenance, arborist services to pest control and irrigation.  The first challenge is to identify your needs and focus on the qualifications of the vendor to be sure there is a match in needs vs. services.  The detail of what is promised and what is delivered is the key to receiving value. 

The overall awareness that curb appeal is a primary determinant in creating market value is the concept that must be kept in the forefront of each board member's mind.  It is easy to understand how $1,000 spent on attractive landscaping along the entry to the community can translate into $100,000 worth of increased aggregate property market value. It's also easy to forget when looking over landscaping bids for the coming year.  People still buy their homes based mainly on cosmetic appeal.  How fresh is the paint? How neatly trimmed is the lawn?  How attractive are the shrubs and signing? How clean are the parking lots?  Books will always be judged by their covers and homes will always be judged by their appearance.  Landscaping is the most obvious facet of appearance in most suburban communities.

Poorly maintained lawns with bald patches and overgrown areas are a major turnoff.  A well-designed landscape plan will dazzle a new buyer.  A Landscape Maintenance Manual will ensure that the property continues to provide an attractive facade to the public.  To accomplish your overall goals, you need a plan.  A Landscaping Committee is a good place to start. Here's a few ABC's.

Identify your needs.  

The most obvious is maintenance.  The lawns must be cut. The shrubs must be trimmed.  Fertilizer must be applied. These three tasks can often be accomplished by a single vendor.  In order to get a proper bid, outline exactly the areas to be maintained and the expected frequency of trimming and fertilization.

Secondly: Do you wish to do any improvements on your landscaping plan?  Do you want to invest a few dollars to add more shrubbery? Remove some dead plantings? Restructure an existing area?  A Landscape Architect is what you need.  Not every maintenance company provides a trained professional.  Ask for credentials.  Ask for pictures and other references from previous work.  It will be more expensive than you think.  But keep in mind that expenses incurred to purchase long-lasting trees, shrubs and other permanent improvements to your landscape are legitimate Reserve Budget items and can be paid from that fund.  Just be sure to make note of it and include future purchases in your Reserve Study Budget.  When you consider how trees and other plantings increase in value as they mature, you might well consider these purchases as one of your most profitable investments.  Spend $300 for a young sapling today and it could be worth $1,000 or more five years from now.  You sure don't get that kind of value in re-painting.

Third on the list should be special needs like services of an arborist for your existing trees or an irrigation specialist to address your water usage and its effectiveness.  Make sure you go to specialists.  

Pest Control is a fourth area of concern.  We all know about the need for fertilizer.  What about preventive maintenance for things like chinch bug or army worms? Pest Control vendors are often specially licensed and trained to apply the often dangerous chemicals that are needed.  Check out the state-mandated requirements in your area. This function should be covered under a separate contract from your overall landscaping needs.

Do you have a Landscaping Maintenance Manual? Do you know what one is?  They are volumes of information compiled by your manager in conjunction with the landscaping professionals that outline all of your landscaping assets, their original cost, expected life, their on-going care, and a record of regular maintenance activities to be performed. History of infestations and their treatment should be recorded. Fertilization schedules should be noted. Any kind of guarantees or warranties on plantings, pest control projects, and maintenance equipment should be in writing in one reference manual.  In the case of irrigation equipment, manufacturers' names and warranties should be recorded.  The Landscaping Maintenance Manual is your bible that ensures continuity and the consistent quality of your curb appeal that translates into re-sale value for each individual owner. 

Landscaping is a multi-faceted responsibility that invites community participation.  The Landscaping Committee is second in popularity to the Budget Committee.  Take advantage of the neighbors in your community with a feel for greenery and the willingness to donate their time.  Examine all the aspects of your landscaping needs and professionalize the whole package with a Landscaping Maintenance Manual.