There are many reasons to buy and install a fence for your Fort Collins home. A front yard fence can be its own decoration, adding a touch of order and elegance, especially the oft-idealized white picket fence. Fences can add a sense of privacy and convenience if you have children or pets, and if done right, they can add significant curbside appeal.
The reasons for adding a fence vary from person to person. Most Fort Collins real estate experts would agree that adding an ‘upgrade’ such as a fence with a gate adds value to any property. The question is how much you can expect to improve your property’s value by adding a fence.
Environmental Factors
Especially in Fort Collins, simply having a physical barrier between you and the many critters that call Northern Colorado home is never a bad thing. While squirrels, rats, mice, and worse can certainly get under, around, through, or over a fence, these animals will also more likely forage, nest, and meander in properties less encumbered by obstacles. It doesn’t require a scientific study to guess that properties with fences—possibly even decorative ones—are less likely to be infested with non-insect pests.
Even low fences can help protect landscaping and property from the elements as well. They can keep blowing snow at bay, impede invading plant life, and serve as windbreaks.
Pets and Children
Moving from an apartment to a house when you have dogs and/or babies on board is a dream come true. No more walking your dog around constantly with a thousand plastic bags in your pocket. No more confining your kids to four walls at every moment. Dogs can do their business in the yard, and children can come and go outdoors as they please…all because of a fence.
Privacy
Privacy means different things to different people. Some don’t want random strangers wandering through their yard. Some don’t want anyone to peer into their backyard, while others simply want a clear boundary between their property and their neighbor’s. You can put in a fence that will give you the level of privacy you desire. Fences, no matter the type, add privacy for houses in the country or the city, and with every type of front and back yard.
Defining a space is a form of privacy—it lets visitors know when they’ve crossed into someone else’s domain. Fences clearly define your property, so there’s no ambiguity.
Fences allow you to better plan your space, too, after you’ve defined it. With clear demarcation of what you have to work with, you can plan landscaping projects—another value addition—more efficiently.
In short, the exact value fences add depend on location and the needs of the buyer. People moving with kids and pets might pay more for the luxury of a fence, for instance. Aesthetic issues—such as whether the fence stands up straight, matches the property, is ornate—matter, too. But, there’s no doubt that installing a fence adds convenience, security, and definition to any property, all of which are extremely valuable.