Will Landscaping Increase The Value Of Your Property?
A beautiful garden is an investment in your lifestyle and your wellbeing. But will landscaping increase the value of your property? Let’s take a look.
Imagine for a moment that you are house hunting. You’re looking for something that you can move into almost straight away without needing to take time of work to refurbish the place. I would imagine that your primary interest is in the inside of the house, but I suspect that your decision may also be influenced by the state of the garden.
Kerb Appeal
Before you even get to view the inside of a property, you’ll see the outside first. What does the driveway look like? Is the front garden attractive? or are you immediately struck by the amount of work you’ll need to do to make the place feel more welcoming? If the garden is a mess, how do you imagine the interior will look? Do you immediately feel like putting in a lower offer to compensate for the cost of landscaping the front garden?
If you would consider lowering your offer on the property to factor in the landscaping costs, then you’ve already begun to answer the question “will landscaping increase the value of your property?”
A well designed, well built and well maintained approach to any property immediately gives the impression that the entire home is in good condition. It reduces the risk of anyone wanting to haggle about the price and may even mean that you can raise the asking price a little.
Anecdotal evidence from estate agents suggests that properties with excellent kerb appeal sell quicker than homes with muddy drives, overgrown shrubs and/or old washing machines in the front garden.
Before and after.
A front garden in Wembdon whose kerb appeal has been massively improved by re-landscaping
Adding An Extra Room To The Home
Increase the appeal – and therefore the value – of your property by demonstrating how the garden can be used as an extra room (or rooms). As a potential buyer, wouldn’t you feel more confident about purchasing if you could see that outside the back door is a great space for entertaining, relaxing, playing with pets or amusing the children?
If it were me looking for a new home, I’d be wanting a secure garden where the dog would be safe from the get-go. I’d probably also want a shed and a decent view from my windows. And if I could escape the moving mayhem by retreating to the garden with a coffee, that would be awesome too.
Conversely, the idea of looking at a dilapidated garden for the first few months after moving in would make my heart sink. Even if I were to hire professionals to design and build a new garden, the process can take a while and of course there’d be a cost attached to it.
So yes, for me, the state of the back garden would influence the price I’d be willing to pay for the property.
An attractive outdoor dining area is the equivalent of adding an extra room to the house.
Add a pergola and you’ll have a relaxing space that can be used virtually all year round.
Is It Worth Landscaping Your Garden To Sell Your Property?
Now there’s a question. IT all depends on the current value of your property and the state of your garden.
According to sold.co.uk a nicely presented garden can add up to 20% to the value of your home. And 70% of home buyers would pay more for a property with outdoor green space. That means that if your home is worth £250,000, a really nice garden could potentially add £50,000 to the price. But what would the landscaping cost and would you really be able to recoup the investment?
My advice would be to ask your estate agents opinion before embarking on a landscaping project to help sell your property. And weigh up the pros and cons very carefully before committing.
It could be, that with the garden beautifully landscaped, you’ll decide to forget about the upheaval of moving and stay put.
It’s important to personalise your outdoor spaces with the planting and lighting effects that you love.
Gardens are incredibly important for our wellbeing and if you’ve just survived the stress of a house move, you definitely deserve a treat.
Should You Landscape Your Garden Right After Moving In To A New Home?
Absolutely, 100% yes! You’ll no doubt be personalising the inside of your new home with the colours and furnishings you love. You may even be reconfiguring the rooms so that the house fits better with your lifestyle. So why would you not put your own stamp on the garden?
Landscaping doesn’t necessarily mean ripping the whole garden out and starting again. It could involve extending the patio so that you can fit a bigger dining table on. You may want to add a pergola for shade. Or create a new seating area that will catch the sun at a particular time of day. Maybe the lawn needs replacing or you want to refresh the planting. All in all, your garden needs to suit YOUR taste and YOUR lifestyle.
We all want to add value to our property – even if we’re not thinking of selling in the near future. Knowing that you have made a house more attractive to other people, is a really satisfying feeling.
Need some advice on garden design and landscaping? Call me (Dan) to discuss your ideas.
