A house with a view…

I get to overhear quite a few comments about the views, when out house hunting with buyers. Many buyers really take the time to look around at the views afforded from the house and that is very important to them. I've never been one to have big "view" concerns; but, I can appreciate that it is an important "asset" of any property. Once you've got your hands on a good view, there are some things you can do to enhance it. Much of this is from an article by Marilyn Lewis that first appeared on MSN Real Estate.

In the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia, home buyers and developers capitalize on mountain views. In that region, lots with a "short-range" view (stretching a mile or two in the distance) run $50,000 to $70,000. The ability to cast your eyes three to five miles out will cost you up $70,000 to $90,000, and a 20-mile mountaintop vista runs up to $175,000. Add water -- a river or a lake -- and a broad, unobstructed long shot of the mountains fetches $175,000 or more.

Other factors can dilute a view's value, though -- proximity to town, the condition of roads and the potential expense of preparing a steep lot for construction. Mountain landowners often must work for their views. Because all of the lots are wooded, the only way you can get the view is to cut trees. In Michigan we are blessed with lots of views involving woods and water, though few real mountain views – My Holly and My Brighton just don’t rate all that high on the View-o-meter.

Here are some tips for buying and enhancing views:

1. When buying view land, notice trees whose growth could block your vista. In large developments, builders often trim trees to sell lots, but buyers let them grow back, to the frustration of neighbors who lose views. If your view would depend on trimming trees, make certain those trees are on your land. Don't count on a neighbor to trim his trees for you -- most won't.

2. Learn local ordinances and development rules before you buy. In Fannin County, Ga., for instance, property owners may not cut more than 50% of the trees (topping and trimming is allowed) bigger than eight inches in diameter and located 2,200 feet above sea level or higher. Contact government planning departments and read developments' covenants, conditions and restrictions. Also, if trees on a city or county right-of-way are likely to grow up and block your view, call the municipality's street department to learn the rules and practices for tree trimming. Milford, like most cities and Villages in Michigan has local ordinances about what trees a homeowner can remove and what permits are required.

3. When selling view land, do not -- repeat: do not -- cut down all the trees. Once you take the trees down, they're gone. Besides causing environmental damage, you'll limit your pool of interested buyers, many of whom love trees and want to preserve them. Keep buyers' options by asking a skilled arborist to open a narrow "window" through the trees, carefully revealing just 5% to 10% of the view while preserving the trees' shape and integrity. We also have lots of wetlands in Michigan and tearing them out to fill in with a lawn or to open up a view can land you in serious (like in big fine) trouble, so check before sending in the chain saws and dozers.

4. Choose careful pruning of selected limbs over removing the tops of trees (Read "Five Reasons to Stop Topping Trees" at PlantAmnesty.org), which can injure or kill them. Using recommendations from friends and trusted professionals, hire an arborist skilled at precision pruning, not a logger skilled in wholesale tree removal.

5. Trim trees in spring if you can. Branches are bare and you can see the view you want to achieve.

6. When enhancing the view from an existing home, choose which trees or limbs to remove by looking through the most important windows in the house. Artfully expose the view, removing as little as possible. Work carefully and thoughtfully: The embrace of a tree in many cases frames a view, enhancing it.

7. Work alongside your arborist to get the result you want. Stands back on the deck or porch and point out which limbs to cut. Do it very selectively. To paraphrase an old carpenter’s saying – look twice and cut once.

8. Finally, enhance the enjoyment of the views that you have through remodeling. Open up the views by adding windows and orient your entertaining and living spaces around the views. Most remodeled lakefront homes in Michigan are essentially a wall of windows on the lake side of the house, with the main entertaining areas and quite often the master bedroom oriented in the house to take advantage of the water views. Most of the older lakefront houses didn’t start out that way.
A house with a view is definitely worth a premium. How much the view is worth in today’s market is debatable; but, the fact that one house has a great view and a similar houses doesn’t might be the biggest factor impacting which will sell.