WHAT IF YOUR CITY PAID YOU TO USE LESS WATER?
Have you noticed any impact on your home’s curb appeal or resale value since making the switch? I keep wondering if buyers are really warming up to native landscaping or if old habits die hard.
You nailed it with “old habits die hard.” I’ve been in my place for 18 years and honestly, there’s still a chunk of folks who expect that classic green lawn out front. When we ripped ours out for drought-tolerant stuff, my neighbor across the street actually asked if we were “giving up” on yard work. That kind of sums up the attitude in my area.
Curb appeal is tricky. At first, it looked a little rough—like a construction zone with all the mulch and baby plants. But after about a year, once everything filled in, we started getting compliments from people walking by. Still, I wouldn’t say everyone’s convinced. There’s always someone who misses that “golf course” look.
Resale value? Hard to say for sure. We haven’t sold, but when we refinanced last year, the appraiser actually mentioned our landscaping as a plus because it’s low-maintenance and cuts down on water bills. But I’ve heard stories from friends where buyers wanted to know if they could “just put grass back in.” So yeah, mixed bag.
Honestly, I think it depends on your neighborhood and how common these changes are. In some places, native landscaping is starting to look more normal—especially after a couple dry summers where lawns just turned brown anyway. But if you’re in an area where everyone’s still hanging onto their sprinklers and lawnmowers, you might get some side-eye.
One thing I’ll say: those rebates are nice but man, the paperwork was ridiculous. Took me three tries to get everything right and then months before the check showed up. Worth it in the end though... water bill dropped by about 40%. That was the real win for us—not just the rebate.
Anyway, long story short—curb appeal can take a hit at first but seems to bounce back once things mature. As for resale value, it probably helps more than hurts these days (at least around here), but there will always be folks who want that old-school lawn no matter what.