Hi everybody. Not a professional here. Just a homeowner getting ready to pay for a really expensive job. No, I'm not installind hardscaping, or a new pool. Unfortunately, it's more of a necessity that I really can't afford: a new septic system. Cost is expected to be around $15,000 (if we're lucky) to $20,000 (including $1850 just for engineering.) I have to cut down many trees to make room for the system. One of which is a big japanese maple. Now, since this system is costing me an arm and a leg, and other unexpected expenses have popped up this year (it's really not been a good year,) I was thinking that maybe I could sell this beautiful tree instead of cutting down. This would help eleviate some of the expense (albeit only a small portion.) I've been in communication with a nursery that specializes in installing large trees using a truck mounted spade. They have expressed an iterest. I told them that I wanted to sell the tree for a wholsale price. (Hey, I am aware that they need to make money on this deal.) But, what can I expect for a wholesale price? I was thinking anywhere from $1000 to $3000. I'm guessing that based on a retail price of $10,000 to $20,000? As you can see, I really have no idea what trees like this cost!!! I'll give you the details, and maybe you can advise.

The tree is probably about 10-15 yrs old, and was originally a seedling of a much larger tree that I have (parent tree is 35 - 40 feet tall.) It has a trunk diameter of about 4.5 inches, and is 20 feet tall. It has a single trunk, and is not a *full* tree (as far as foliage.) the tree itself is very vertical, although the branches have bunches of horizontal leaves, giving a nice "japanese" look. Jundging from the parent, this tree will grow over time to be a nice shade tree (not a dwarf.) And since it was a seedling, it is obviously not a cultivar. It has unbelievable fall color in shades of orange. The summer color is green going towards red. It's starting to turn red now, but bottoms of leaves are still pure green. Any ideas on price? Thanks!