Summer is quickly approaching, and we long for those fine days where we can enjoy spending time outdoors and enjoying our gardens again. Gardens have a huge role to play when selling your home. The space you have at the front of your home is responsible for that all important first impression. Your main garden is basically another room in your home: it is a place where you can relax, entertain and have fun. It, too, like many rooms in your house, has the potential to make or break a sale and can even add value. Therefore, as we start to spend more time in our outdoor spaces, how can your garden add value and help sell your home?
Adding value
Your garden should be considered as one of your home’s biggest assets and, therefore, needs to be loved and cared for, just like your kitchen or bathroom. In fact, a good garden can increase the value of your home by up to 77% according to research by The Greenhouse People. You don’t need a designer budget or luxurious finishes – there are a number of cost-effective changes you can make that will always benefit the sale of your home, and make buyers extremely happy.
Often it is the small changes that can have the biggest impact. Mowing the lawn so it is looking neat and tidy is a great place to start, unless you are taking part in No Mow May. Launched by the nature charity Plantlife, No Mow May seeks to keep gardens wild, allowing wild plants to thrive and helping to provide nectar for insects. If the rest of your garden is looking pristine, it can be easy to explain why your lawn may be looking more unkept without it deflecting from what your garden has to offer.
When you are looking to decorate a room, you may have thoughtfully considered colours, textures, and zoning of furniture. The same principles should be used when you are looking to design your garden: have distinct areas, use different materials to add texture, and think about your planting for adding colour. Don’t forget those finishing touches such as cushions, lanterns and throws to bring your outside ‘room’ to life.
Like all rooms, you need to have some kind of storage, whether you add a shed in a tucked-away part of the garden, or you use a garage or some other outbuilding. You want somewhere you can place all your gardening tools as well as things like BBQ, summer furniture, bikes, outdoor cushions and other bits and pieces.
Another priority for your garden, and something which is often high on the list of priorities for buyers, is privacy as well as security. There are always things you can do to minimise your garden being overlooked, whether that is through clever planting, bamboo screens or trellis with climbers. Security is also a concern; therefore ensure your fencing and gates are in great condition, and you have lights where needed too.
Be careful you don’t devalue
No matter how much you care for your garden, there could be an enemy within that will not only cause damage but could risk devaluing your home by around 15% according to surveyor experts at Stokemont.com. The most common ‘damaging’ plants to your home’s value include Japanese knotweed. This invasive plant is known for its devasting ability to cause damage wherever it spreads. Did you know its roots can even reach 20 metres underground, making it extraordinarily difficult to get rid of. This is why Japanese knotweed is listed as a defect to the property by RICS Homebuyer Reports.
Other invasive and damaging plants include giant hogweed and English ivy, due to their fast-growing root systems which can spread out to 40 metres, popular trees such as willow and oak can be dangerous if grown close to property.
Make your garden work for you
There is no doubt, summer buyers will have a strong focus on the outside space your home provides, so don’t miss the opportunity to make your garden work for you. It provides an extra room to your house, as well as having the potential to add value. If you are curious how much your garden upgrades have added value to your home, contact our team at Deakin-White.
