A backyard garden can return nothing at resale, or it can be the detail that closes the deal.
As food prices are projected to rise 2 to 2.5 percent in 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a growing number of homeowners are reaching for a trowel in response.
Longevity researchers say the instinct is sound; gardening is among the few daily habits shared by people who live past 100 in every Blue Zone ever studied.
But for real estate agents, the question of whether a garden helps or hurts a sale rarely has a clean answer. The data suggests it depends on what kind of garden, how it’s maintained and how an agent frames it to potential buyers.
What outdoor investment actually returns
The clearest numbers agents have come from the 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, produced jointly by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
Standard lawn care — the least expensive of 11 outdoor projects surveyed — returned 217 percent of its cost at resale, as estimated by Realtors. Landscape maintenance returned 104 percent. An overall landscape upgrade returned 100 percent.
Ninety-two percent of Realtors in the report said they recommend improving curb appeal before listing, with landscape maintenance and standard lawn care among the top-recommended projects by a wide margin.
Buyer demand for that outdoor investment is real and growing. In a survey conducted for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, 76 percent of affiliated agents said outdoor living extensions — patios, porches and balconies — are the most requested feature among buyers.
Thirty-eight percent of buyers in the same survey ranked outdoor space as a top priority, and 71 percent said outdoor spaces that extend living areas are among the features most likely to make them fall in love with a home.
The gap between what buyers want and what pays back at the closing table frames the core conversation agents should be having with seller clients: The outdoor investments that feel the most rewarding are frequently not the ones that perform best at resale.
When a garden is an asset — and when it isn’t
A well-maintained raised bed or herb garden reads as a lifestyle amenity. An overgrown vegetable plot or a labor-intensive perennial border reads as a liability and likely a list of weekend commitments the buyer didn’t ask for. The NAR/NALP report found that elaborate gardens requiring significant maintenance can give buyers pause, regardless of how much care the seller has invested in them.
Shelton Wilder
The BHGRE survey reinforces that modern, low-maintenance landscaping, like neatly mulched beds, native greenery and drip irrigation, is ranked just behind styled outdoor rooms in what buyers respond to at the curb. The signal buyers want is that a home looks beautiful without demanding constant upkeep.
“Home gardens can absolutely help attract a certain buyer pool, especially in markets like Los Angeles, where indoor-outdoor living is such a big part of the lifestyle,” Shelton Wilder, CEO of The Shelton Wilder Group at Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California, told Inman.
“Buyers love the idea of fresh herbs, citrus trees, or a beautiful raised garden bed, but I always tell sellers not to overspend on it.”
Wilder said the front of the home remains the most reliable place to put money before a sale.
“First impressions matter, and clean landscaping, greenery and a welcoming entry can make a huge difference in how buyers feel when they first arrive at a property.”
For buyers, existing garden infrastructure like raised beds, compost systems and established fruit trees can represent real value. Properties with those features already in place may save buyers thousands in setup costs, a consideration worth raising with clients whose lifestyle aligns with the space.
Lifestyle demand at the luxury end
At higher price points, the garden conversation has moved well beyond curb appeal.
Jack Richardson
“Outdoor space has evolved from being a ‘nice to have’ into a strong value driver, particularly in the luxury end of the market,” said Jack Richardson, principal of The Richardson Team at SERHANT. “Buyers today are evaluating the entire lifestyle experience of a property, not just the interior square footage or stone choices.”
Richardson points to a quality of outdoor investment that sets it apart from most interior renovations. “Thoughtful landscaping is one of the few investments you can make into a home that actually scales in value over time,” he said. “Unlike many renovations that depreciate the moment they’re completed, mature trees, layered plantings, privacy hedging, and well-designed outdoor living spaces tend to become more valuable and more difficult — expensive — to replicate as the property ages.”
On the listing side, Richardson said garden spaces are reaching buyers who would not have ranked them as a priority before. “The best exterior spaces create a sense of permanence, privacy and serenity that’s increasingly hard to find.”
The Blue Zones connection
The appetite for that serenity may be grounded in something older than real estate trends.
Researchers studying Blue Zones — the five regions where people live past 100 at the highest rates in the world — have identified gardening as a consistent feature of daily life in each one.
The regions, identified by journalist Dan Buettner in partnership with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging, span Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.
What those communities share is not structured exercise but movement built into the fabric of everyday life, with walking, manual tasks and gardening among them. Centenarians in these regions tend gardens into their 80s, 90s and beyond.
Research cited by the Blue Zones Institute finds that home gardening is associated with levels of happiness comparable to walking or biking, and that participants consistently ranked gardening among the most meaningful activities in their daily lives.
The mental health and movement case
That finding is supported by a growing body of peer-reviewed research reaching well beyond Blue Zones populations.
A University of Florida study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that twice-weekly gardening sessions lowered stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women who had never gardened before. A 2024 umbrella review and meta-analysis published in Systematic Reviews, drawing on decades of research across populations, found that gardening was associated with improvements in a range of mental health outcomes, including reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, lower stress and improved cognitive function.
Michigan State University research found that gardening boosted confidence, self-esteem and sense of purpose, and that those benefits deepened when people gardened alongside others.
For agents working with clients who are weighing aging-in-place options or looking for homes that support an active lifestyle without high-impact movement demands, the garden’s functional role could be worth bringing up as part of the conversation.
What agents should know before advising clients
The data points to a few practical distinctions.
For sellers, the financial return is clearest in the fundamentals: Lawn maintenance, clean landscaping and a welcoming entry. Elaborate vegetable gardens or high-maintenance plantings are worth simplifying before listing, or framing with intent. The goal is to let a buyer see the lifestyle potential without projecting labor costs.
For buyers, the question is whether the garden aligns with how the client actually wants to live, and whether the lifestyle benefits are part of what they are weighing in a home decision. The BHGRE survey found that outdoor living extensions ranked No. 1 on the buyer-approved layout wish list, above flex rooms, smart storage and dual primary suites — a signal that outdoor space is no longer a secondary consideration.
“We’re consistently hearing demand for outdoor living areas, gardens, pools and properties that feel like private retreats,” Richardson said. “There’s also growing appreciation for landscaping that provides both beauty and functionality — shade and privacy.”
As food costs rise and buyers increasingly weigh wellness alongside square footage, the garden conversation is becoming a more standard part of what agents are expected to know.
