With the costs associated with moving house so high, many people are choosing to invest in their property for the longer term. However, if you do have your eye on pastures new, creating a beautiful garden is never going to be a waste of money. A garden can be a long term investment and a huge selling point when it comes to marketing your house. So, when you are ready for your next project, remember, someone is going to love your garden just as much as you will.
A 2013 survey conducted by the Home Retail Group reported that two fifths of Britons refuse to choose or consider a home unless it has a sufficient garden. In fact, one in seven homeowners claim their garden has added more value to their home than they had ever invested.
According to Jan Hytch, president of the National Association of Estate Agents, “if a garden is well kept and designed, it’s a real plus. It makes the property stand out and people would probably pay more for a really well-designed garden. It might add from 5 to 10% on the price of a house.”
According to UK estate agents, these are the top things people look for from a garden when buying a house (but you probably know this from buying your own house!)
- An extension of the house – having a home that’s spot on, but a messy unloved garden will be quite jarring to potential buyers. Make sure your garden is a reflection on your home life and not a forgotten space that might be more of a burden than a blessing.
- An al fresco entertainment area
- Flow – a garden that flows seamlessly from the indoor living space is a huge selling point. Bi-fold doors have helped to make this possible and the trend for this is showing no signs of dwindling.
- Storage space (a shed or if you don’t have room a water tight storage box).
- A sun trap, somewhere to sit on a summer’s day, read a magazine and unwind, Pimm’s in hand.
- Somewhere to sit on not so sunny days – more and more people are converting their sheds into garden hideaways. Need some inspiration?
- A tidy lawn and flower bed borders.
- Colour – even if you don’t have much space you can brighten up a patio with some brightly planted pots. It has been reported that people prefer paved areas to decking which can be slippery and requires a lot of upkeep.
- Nothing too fussy – a garden that looks hard to maintain or too intricate can put people off. Why not book in a professional garden tidy to keep on top of things?
- A Water feature – running water is calming and can block out unwanted back ground noise such as a busy road thus creating a more peaceful environment to attract potential buyers.
- De-weed and keep an eye out for unwanted visitors that can have a long-term destructive effect on your garden, for example, Bamboo (ok if planted into the ground in containers) and Japanese Knotweed (must always be declared and treated by professionals).
So now you have made all these improvements and invested time and money into your garden do you really want to leave it behind for someone else to enjoy?
