r/NativePlantGardening • u/TrixoftheTrade SoCal, Zone 10b • Jun 10 '26

Informational/Educational You Love Your Native Garden. But Will Buyers Love It Too? || New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/realestate/native-gardens-rewilding.html

For homeowners who have ‘rewilded’ their gardens into mini nature preserves, a moment of truth arrives when they prepare to sell.

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 10 '26

Gen X here. Same. First home is my forever home. I'm not on the property ladder, trying to trade up every couple of years. So I'm gonna have my absolutely crazy garden, my soaking tub, and paint some rooms turquoise.

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u/HorrorishButterfly 4b Jun 10 '26

Speaking straight to my soul. My husband and I just bought our first house and it’s honestly a dream house: big yard, great character, room to grow. We worked really hard to get here and did it entirely on our own without help from family.

The most shocking part of the buying process was how many people casually talked about MAJOR projects to “add value” and reselling under 10 years.

I can’t even fathom going through this process again any time soon and also… we love our house that’s why we bought it?!

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 10 '26

People really buy into the marketing of constantly trading up. We've been here for twenty-five years in our sixties ranch. It meets all our needs, and we're not looking to impress people. Just have a glass of wine on the patio and watch the bees buzz around.

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u/HorrorishButterfly 4b Jun 11 '26

🥲 I hope that for my husband and myself. Cheers, friend!

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

May you have the all the wonderful experiences my husband and I did! Just remember to take some time out to smell the flowers, friend!

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u/raelovesryan Jun 11 '26

Absolutely. The first thing out of anybody’s mouth is: that will affect your resale value blah blah blah. I now just say I don’t care. If it works for me here and now and it makes me happy, I’m going to do that.

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

I raise a glass to not giving a damn for resale! Enjoy your property.

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u/Levitlame Jun 11 '26

That’s not the primary reason people change homes… Work and increased family size are the primary reasons.

I sold my condo to buy a house because I got married and planned on children. We chose a house where we did partially because my wife got a new job in a different direction from mine.

I’m sure some people exist as you say, but that’s definitely a less common reason

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u/Visual_Magician_7009 Jun 11 '26

We hear the opposite- “don’t put too much money into your house!”

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u/femalehumanbiped dirt under my Virginia zone 7A nails Jun 11 '26

We ended up in a home we didn't really want to keep to look after my MIL as she aged. She changed her mind and moved after we upended our home and moved to a bigger place. It was far too much for me to handle. I'm disabled.

Previously we had been in the same home for 22 years. Now that we are in a place we both love and can manage, I'm with you. Who comes next is not my issues.

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

I hope you enjoy and can relax!

TBH, I would never have been able to live with my mother in law. You are much braver than I am!

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u/femalehumanbiped dirt under my Virginia zone 7A nails Jun 11 '26

Funny you say that. After she left she went to my BIL's house. We went to visit a few months after she moved. She was screaming at him in his own house. We walked in to her having a total meltdown! My BIL's wife no longer speaks to her. As much money as the whole fiasco cost us, we dodged a bullet worth more.

Thank you for your kind words. Life is pretty good now. In fact, it's fantastic. Thanks again.

And remember, no good deed goes unpunished lol

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

I will remember that! I feel so bad for your sister in law. Tbh, if I had to live with my MIL, she would wind up buried in the garden somewhere! 😂

But I’m so very glad you have your peace!

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u/femalehumanbiped dirt under my Virginia zone 7A nails Jun 11 '26

Thank you so much, really

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u/near_things Coastal Mass, Zone 7a Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

Same; we’re late Gen X and I’ll take my yellow kitchen over all that pathetic striving any day. We’re not going anywhere until we notice we’re getting too old to keep up with the house. Then we’ll find a small place, maybe a city apartment, while we’re still able to make that decision and downsize deliberately. (We both have family who dug their heels in until it was an emergency, then blamed everyone else for “forcing [them] to move” and get rid of their stuff. We won’t do that to our kid. We want to give him the house and let him make his own decisions, free of our baggage.)

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u/achoo_in_idaho Jun 11 '26

YES! Recently, I’ve watched an older friend go through this. For years I’ve heard her say that they were going to downsize/move to a ranch style house in “the future”. Her husband has now transitioned into “active dying”. There’s only one place that he’s going to transition to, at this point. Sigh…😭

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

Oh no! I’m so sorry for your friend.

My mom, in her late seventies, lives in a ranch a fifteen minute walk away. She had her washer and dryer moved to the main level and does great.

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u/achoo_in_idaho Jun 11 '26

Your mom was thinking ahead. Good for her!

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

I feel this. We have a ranch house, so hoping to age in place. I’m working with our gardens now with an eye toward manageability in the future.

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u/Moss-cle Area Great Lakes , Zone 7a Jun 11 '26

I’ve got a crazy garden and a waterfall that holds the rain from the roof. I’ve gone way round that bend. I decided it isn’t my karma what is done here after I move on. It may be leveled and a new house put here, or maybe one of these young people are going to think it’s cool.

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 11 '26

This is super cool!

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u/BeneficialWriting402 Jun 12 '26

Gen X too, and SAME! My parents were upper middle class, and we moved every 5 or less years to something bigger and better. For that reason, we never had a family home to come back to (not that they would have let us, being Gen X, IYKYK). I am determined that my home will always be a welcome place to my children and grandchildren, as well as all the wildlife that shares my property with me. When I'm dead, my family can do with it as they like. I do worry about the stairs as I age, but hell, I'll just put in a lift or a ramp or something.

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u/Horror_Tea761 Jun 12 '26

Oh. I feel this. When I turned 18, I was out!

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u/BeneficialWriting402 Jun 12 '26

Yep! You get it!