Just realized how much money I put into removing trees at the properties all these years. I didn't buy them so no way to chose fewer or different landscaping. But I would say if you are just getting started, don't buy a property with huge trees. Around here it's about 4K to take them down. I have probably sunk over 12 K into removed large trees for safety as they began to die. Now I am faced with one at my home that is succumbing to an oak virus spread by birds. First clue is bottom branches just drop off. One fell where I regularly stand to throw some peanuts to squirrels. Not there in the AM, there in the PM right on the path. So if I were buying a place I would look for one with trees that don't grow higher than a house, say 30 feet.

Something you might look at with tenants is type of dog that might need grooming constantly. My long term tenant said something shocking last week. She was spending $60 each to have her two little dogs groomed once a month. She would occasionally not have all the rent due to car issues or something and I would take late payments. I have learned to clip my own little dogs and do their nails. So when your applicant announces they have a poodle or bichon, walk the other way. Those need constant clipping and primping.

Considering what we get from trees, I still want them. The larger trees help keep the home cooler in the summer by keeping the direct sun off the home.

Yes, there are costs to having trees, like everything else. We have them all trimmed every few years. Just part of the cost of maintenance.

We are having a large maple removed from our own yard this fall. Almost $5k, due to location and prep work to safely remove.

A large branch came off a few weeks ago, in a heavy downpour, just missing the neighbors house( gutter was bent a bit) . Both neighbors and us admit though, that tree’s shade has been more valuable than the cost to remove. Though I do wish I had stuck to my guns and insisted that one branch be removed three years ago when I told my husband it needed to go. We could have lost good neighbors, we got extremely lucky. Tree shows no sign of illness, just a mature Silver maple, located too close to the houses if a storm comes through

We (I was married then) bought my own house (back in the early 80's) because of the trees. As a graduate student we had lived in a trailer in a LARGE lot in Southern Illinois. The field must have originally been a corn field as there was ONE tree in the whole place and our trailer was number 157.

It was like living in a frying pan in the summer.

Over the years I have lost several of my own trees to disease. There is nothing one can do to prevent this and nothing to treat it. Last year during a wind storm I had a huge pine in the back shift and begin to lay on the side of my enclosed porch. It was difficult to get out and cost 6K to remove but if it had fallen it would have taken out half the house.

I do, however, miss the trees I had. They were huge, shady and kept the weeds down in the front yard.

On the house we are working on to sell I had several smaller trees removed. The landlord who rents next door wanted a pine overhanging his driveway also removed. He agreed to split half the cost and so far I haven't seen a penny of this (and likely won't). In the midst of the tree removals his tenant (on Section 8) came over and wanted the tree guys to trim back some of my trees she said were too close to "her" house. When they called me about this request I told them to tell her to take a hike.

Check with your local power company where you live. If the trees are growing in power line areas to where the utilities companies have to keep trimming them then they may remove them for free.

I had two maple trees in the front yard of my rental that would get butchered, I mean trimmed, by the utilities every years and they always filled the gutters with leaves. I called the utilities company to see if they would just cut the trees down instead of just trimming them every year. They came out and looked at them and agreed. They cut the trees down for free and cut up the logs into fire wood size and left them. Easy to get rid of or use the firewood.

I had a huge maple on the back of the house that dropped a limb on the roof as the tree was right against the house. Half of the tree hung over the house. The roots had also gotten into the sewer line. I called around and got a few estimates. I ended up hiring the middle priced guy as I did not want any big trucks in the yard damaging my new sewer line. These guys climbed the tree and did all of the work. I think it was $1500 with them leaving the fire wood.

On the property that I had in the country, I had a few trees cut down that were near the buildings. Some of the trees were black walnut and so I had them leave the logs and then I had a guy with a portable sawmill come up and saw out some lumber. The rest of the fire wood I gave to my uncle ( he only wanted the oak ) and then the rest, the sheriff office brought out a crew of inmates and haled it off to split it and then deliver the firewood to those in need who could not afford any.

The other smaller trees on the property I cut down myself.

When my tree guy gets free I have 3kish of work lined up at 2 properties. Contacted him in May and he told me August.

Busy silver maple nickname is sliver maple.

I'd like to see hard numbers on the costs "saved" from cooling. Also, keep in mind that shade is a two way street. It cools your home in the summer yes, but it also keeps warming sun off your house in the winter.

Sid, your local power company has the hard numbers. In the winter, the sun is much lower on the horizon, so properly placed trees provide cooling in summer, and no loss of sunlight in winter- unless you are in an area where houses are very close together. In that case, your neighbor might be getting the winter shade, though, with a deciduous tree, that is lessened. Additionally, trees can provide windbreak in winter. Again, your local power company probably has a whole website on this.

In some areas, the energy savings is great enough that utilities are offering low cost trees to reduce electric load. Cheaper to provide trees than build more power plants.

Lost a couple trees just this week at my home.