Selling a Home? Get the Trees Looked At First

The trees on a Volusia County lot are part of what sells the house. Mature live oaks over a driveway in Ormond Beach or New Smyrna Beach are worth real money to a buyer, and a bare lot in a new subdivision is not. We wrote about that in What Mature Trees Are Actually Worth.

The same trees can also cost you the sale, or a chunk of the price, if they show up on the buyer's inspection as a problem. Here is what inspectors and buyers actually flag, and what is worth doing before the listing photos.

What the home inspector notices

A home inspector is not an arborist, but they will note anything obvious that touches the structure:

• Limbs on or over the roof
• Branches contacting siding, gutters or the screen enclosure
• Trees leaning toward the house
• Roots lifting the driveway, walk or patio slab
• Roots near the foundation
• A dead tree or a tree with obvious decay near the house
• Stumps left in the yard

Anything on that list ends up in a report with a recommendation to "consult a licensed arborist," and then it is a negotiating point. A buyer who sees a big dead pine over the garage is going to ask for a credit that is larger than what it would have cost you to remove it on your own schedule.

What the buyer's insurer notices

This is the one sellers underestimate. In Florida, homeowners insurance is hard enough to place, and insurers do look at trees. An inspection or aerial imagery showing limbs over the roof can lead to a requirement to trim before binding coverage, or to a declined application. A buyer who cannot get insurance cannot close.

Roof clearance is the item that comes up most. If limbs are over or touching the roof, have them cleared before listing.

What a buyer's arborist would flag

If the buyer is careful, or the trees are large, they may bring in an arborist. That person looks past the obvious:

• Codominant stems with included bark over the house
• Cavities and decay at the base
• Fungal conks
• Root damage from past construction or paving
• Species that are short-lived or storm-prone (laurel oak, water oak, camphor, queen palm)
• Girdling roots and buried root flares on landscape trees
• Evidence of topping or bad pruning

A written assessment from us before listing tells you what a buyer's arborist would find, so nothing surprises you at the negotiating table. It also gives you a document to hand over. See What Belongs in a Written Tree Report.

What to do before listing

Clear the roof. Limbs over the roof and touching the house come off. This is the highest-value item on the list for both inspection and insurance.

Take the deadwood. Dead limbs in the canopy are visible from the driveway and read as neglect. A crown cleaning on the front-yard trees makes the whole property look maintained.

Remove dead and dying trees. A dead pine or a declining laurel oak is a liability the buyer will price in. Remove it before it becomes a credit request.

Grind the stumps. Stumps read as unfinished work. Stump grinding is quick and it changes how the yard photographs.

Address the obvious root conflicts. A lifted walk is a trip hazard on an inspection report. Fixing the walk is sometimes a job for a concrete contractor, but the root question needs an arborist first, or the fix kills the tree. See Roots Lifting Your Driveway?.

Pull the mulch back from the trunks. Mulch volcanoes are a tell to anyone who knows trees. Free to fix.

What not to do

Do not top the trees to make them "smaller" for the listing. Topped trees are a red flag to a buyer's arborist and an insurance problem later. Do not remove healthy mature trees to make the lot look open; you are removing the most valuable landscape feature on it. And do not let a low bidder hack at the trees the week before photos. Bad cuts are visible for years.

For buyers

Reverse all of the above. If you are buying a property with large trees near the house, spend the money on an arborist's assessment during the inspection period. It is the cheapest tree work you will ever pay for, and it either gives you peace of mind or a credit.

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida require sellers to disclose tree problems?

Sellers are required to disclose known material defects that affect the property's value. Whether a specific tree issue rises to that level is a question for your agent or attorney. A known hazardous tree near the house is the kind of thing you should assume needs disclosing.

How far in advance should I do tree work before listing?

A few weeks is enough for the work itself. Doing it earlier gives fresh cuts time to weather so the trees do not look freshly worked in the photos.

Will a buyer really care about trees?

Buyers care about the roof, the insurance and the driveway. Trees affect all three. And buyers in our area pay a premium for mature canopy that is in good shape.

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ArboristRX provides pre-listing tree assessments, pruning, removals and stump grinding across Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach and Volusia County. Call (386) 444-5959.