05/09/2025
Billionaire Charlie Munger Said If You Want To Add Value To A Home, Invest In Lush Landscaping —'Spend Money On Trees And You Get It Back Triple'
Jeannine Mancini
Thu, May 8, 2025 at 6:34 PM EDT
If you're a homeowner looking to boost property value, your mind probably jumps to the usual suspects: kitchen upgrades, bathroom overhauls, maybe even a fancy new roof. But according to billionaire Charlie Munger, you might be overlooking the real jackpot—your front yard.
That's right. Landscaping.
"Lush landscaping, that's what sells," Munger once declared, according to Janet Lowe's biography "Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger." "You spend money on trees, and you get it back triple. Stinting on landscaping is building malpractice."
Triple. Not a bad return, especially coming from the man who stood beside Warren Buffett, one of the top 10 richest people on the planet. If anyone knows how to turn a dollar into three, it's Charlie.
But Munger wasn't just an armchair real estate philosopher. Long before becoming vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, he rolled up his sleeves and jumped into property development.
In the late 1950s, through his law practice, Munger met Otis Booth. By 1961, Booth brought Munger into a probate settlement that soon turned into a business partnership. Together, they developed apartments next to Caltech, each investing $100,000.
The payoff? A cool $500,000 apiece—a 400% profit.
They didn't stop there. They kept building, learning along the way that single-level condos sold like hotcakes and—yes—buyers were wooed by beautiful landscaping. The lush landscaping became the not-so-secret sauce.
By the time Munger wrapped up his real estate adventures, he'd turned $100,000 into $1.4 million. And that was back when a million bucks could really buy something.
does landscaping pack such a punch? Simple. First impressions sell homes. A well-manicured yard signals care, quality, and curb appeal—the trifecta that hooks buyers before they even step inside. Studies back this up, with some showing that great landscaping can boost home value by up to 30%, according to Angie's List.
At the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting last week, Warren Buffett reflected on his longtime partner's passion for property. "Charlie enjoyed real estate transactions, and he actually did a fair number of them in the last five years of his life," Buffett said. "But he was playing a game that was interesting to him."
And while Munger eventually focused more on stocks, he never stopped believing in the power of real estate—and the magic of a well-planted tree.
So, before you tear out that perfectly good countertop or splurge on another bathroom tile trend, take Munger's advice:
Plant some trees. Your property and your wallet will thank you.
