You’re in the first impression as a grounds manager or commercial property owner. Your real estate’s landscape welcomes guests to the property and provides outdoor spaces for gathering or a break from work. We know that increased traffic attracts and retains tenants in retail environments. Providing a better experience for clients with outdoor features brings HOA and corporate tenants. Welcoming guests and enticing tenants with captivating real estate landscaping holds significant importance.
Aside from the feel-good aspect of well-maintained grounds, property owners find that investments in landscape enhancements that please tenants drive demand and make long-time occupants willing to pay more.
Walk your property with a landscape pro and consider areas that need a facelift or complete overhaul. What is the condition of your entrance — the landscaping surrounding the signage. Is it outdated or underwhelming? This is a focal point and the gateway to your property. Are there areas where people can sit outdoors, community spaces with amenities, and ample lighting for safety?
We discuss some real estate landscaping ideas to consider if you want to increase tenant occupancy.
Top 5 Real Estate Landscaping Ideas to Elevate Your Property
Improve Entrance Landscaping
Again, this is your first impression maker. Your property’s entry deserves stand-out signage with lighting. Though we highly recommend some vibrant, colorful plants, think beyond annual flowers tucked into a mulched bed. There are other ways to draw attention to your property. For instance, a custom water feature from natural stone makes a statement and is virtually no maintenance. You also won’t have to replant every season. If your landscaping is tired and needs a spruce-up, select low-maintenance plants like wispy native grasses paired with perennials.
Create or Update Community Area Landscaping
Does your property lack gathering spaces — or do those outdoor spaces feel more like a back alley than an inviting place to take a break? Increase tenant occupancy and retain the ones you have with improved common areas that offer amenities like seating, fire pits, dining space and an outdoor kitchen that acts as an elevated grilling area.
Consider your tenant population: Who’s renting? HOAs with custom luxury pools and recreational features like a putting green or courts for basketball, tennis, pickleball or bocce create a true sense of community that appeals to many tenants. Plus, it provides a place for them to entertain guests.
Retail and commercial properties that place a high value on providing common spaces are more attractive places to dine, shop and work. Consider a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs, dining areas with bistro lighting, or a custom pavilion that feels like a living room when equipped with cozy seating, a sound system and lighting. You don’t have to go all out to offer a community area that boosts tenant occupancy. Attractive benches flanked with container plantings are a great start. Then, you can build from there based on your tenants’ priorities.
Green Up Your Property – The Value of Trees
Picture two properties side-by-side. One is a concrete jungle – parking lot spaces, sidewalks and buildings. The other has lush, green shrubs and trees that offer shade or privacy and draw the eye up and away from all the necessary pavement for vehicles and foot traffic. Which one is more inviting?
Researchers agree, nature heals. Some properties naturally have mature trees or wooded property lines that bring a sense of calm in an otherwise hectic world, and tenants can stay healthier in walkable communities with green space. They can walk on a lunch break or simply sit and get away from the screen.
If your property lacks green space and trees, there are creative ways to build in these landscape features. Oversized containers that house small trees add green space in concrete areas, bringing warmth and color. Also, evergreens can double as natural fencing or screening to block unappealing views of trash receptacles or utilities.
Plan for Play – Landscaped Areas for Children and Dogs
Having a family friendly area where children can play and families can picnic is a must. HOA properties should also remember their four-footed tenants, as more people have become dog owners since the pandemic and the prevalence of work-from-home schedules. Create an attractive entrance with landscape beds or colorful container plantings. A fenced-in area (with no trees) can include seating for tenants and a patio area with a table for dog owners to socialize. You’ll want a water feature that doubles as a fountain and dispensers with bags for picking up the “leave-behinds” in your puppy play area. Landscape lighting allows tenants to take their dogs out at night safely.
Landscape Lighting for Tenant Safety & Property Aesthetics
Speaking of lighting, outdoor lighting throughout your property’s landscape to illuminate entrances, walkways and parking lots makes tenants feel safe and deters trespassing and criminal activity. For the same reasons, lighting dark areas behind and between buildings is a good idea. From an appearance standpoint, landscape lighting can highlight architectural features, uplight trees and spotlight signage. LED outdoor lighting is energy efficient, and LED color-changing technology allows you to customize displays for the season and events. Lighting is often an afterthought, but it should be a priority when making real estate landscaping improvements that increase tenant occupancy.
Add Value to Your Commercial Real Estate – Landscape Pro Tips
At Neave Management, the leading commercial landscaping company, we take the time to walk your property with you, discuss your vision and identify areas that could be improved. Let’s set up a free site visit so we can identify ways to enhance your property for tenants. We listen. And this is the foundation of a successful partnership.
We look forward to getting to know your property. If you’re in the Hudson Valley, call us at 845-463-0592. If you’re in Westchester County, call 914-271-7996; from Connecticut, dial 203-212-4800; from New Jersey, dial 201-591-4570. Or, fill out our simple web form, and we’ll contact you about setting up your free consultation.