You might overlook the importance of a well designed garden when thinking about doing up your home to make it attractive to buyers in the future, but according to expert even a vegetable patch could add as much as 5k to your home's value.
A new survey found that top of the list for 40% of buyers is a bigger garden, while homes with a well designed garden can expect to sell for around 20% more than comparable properties.
Estate agent Elena Molaie told the Daily Mail: "A well-presented garden indicates that the owners care for and regularly maintain their home, giving buyers further confidence in the whole condition of the property. You can hide mess inside a house, but you can't conceal an untidy garden."
Read more: Garden expert's top tips for growing your own herbs
A damaged garden wall can knock around €6,000 off the value of a property on average, it has been estimated, while damaged or mouldy decking is another big no no that can cause your price to plummet.
Estate agent Fleur Marston added: "Buyers need to be able to visualise themselves living in a property - without having to imagine what they would do with the space first."
Another item that can seriously up the value attached to your home, is the addition of a vegetable garden.
With increasing inflation food prices have soured, and the trend for people wanting to grow their own vegetables shows no signs of slowing.
Experts have estimated the added value from a vegetable patch at around €5,000 on top of your house price.
Louise Ridings of Stacks Property Search says: "The pandemic turned a whole generation into keen vegetable growers, so beautiful raised beds in their own area, with utility space for composting, shed and storage of paraphernalia will add value.
"This kind of gardening is a great pastime, and it provides food as well as mental and physical wellbeing. It's a triple win."
While, at the upper end of the market, an outdoor kitchen can boost value by 10% or more.
A bar, pergola or a built-in pizza oven can each add over €5000 to the value of your home. However, beware that if your garden is small, sacrificing a large area of lawn to a second kitchen may not be worth it.
If you're selling your home, you can set up outdoor dining equipment ahead of viewings, as if poised for entertaining, so that potential buyers can imagine using the garden to host their own friends and family.
While a garden room or outhouse that can be used as an office can boost the value of your home by as much as 10%, although the cost of building and equipping such a space starts at about €10,000.
Top Tips from Estate Agents to Up The Value of Your Home
- Remove weeds from beds and borders, cut and edge the lawn, dead-head roses and prune overhanging trees and shrubs.
- Pull weeds from the patio and make sure that you don't scatter seed all over the place.
- When you've been looking out on the same garden for many years, clutter and mess can easily become invisible. Try to look at your garden with fresh eyes and remove rusting bikes, broken tools, unwanted plastic play equipment and tatty furniture.
- And don't forget to check flower pots, too - remove dead leaves and ensure that plants look fresh and healthy. Even if you don't make much use of your garden, make it look like a calm and enticing place to be.
- Remember that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. Deciding to overlook the condition of your fence, conservatory roof or lawn will provide an excuse for buyers to lower their offer.
- How your home looks from the street is one of the most important factors for potential buyers, so well-tended pots and window boxes are essential.
- Olive trees in large zinc pots placed either side of the front door, are a winning combination to give your home a feeling of luxury.
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