Three things in your garden could lead to lower offers from buyers, reducing the final price of your house, experts have warned. Spring and summer are prime home-buying seasons, experts have said. With this in mind, many Brits will be considering selling their homes, or thinking about when it will be sold after their passing to family members. If you want your house to sell for a good price, your garden needs to be well-maintained.
That is according to the property experts at Redbrik Estate Agents and garden experts Ronseat. Research from the latter has revealed that the majority (61%) of UK homeowners’ decision to purchase a property would be impacted by the condition of the garden, despite a third (31%) admitting that their own outdoor space might reduce their home’s value. David Cooper, director at Redbrik Estate Agents, revealed the three things that potential buyers look out for, which might turn them off buying the property or lead to a lower offer than you might hope.
“Overgrown or poorly maintained gardens are a common deterrent,” David revealed. He explains that buyers often “assume there will be significant time, effort or cost involved in bringing it up to standard” when a garden appears neglected. This can then affect how they view the property as a whole, leading to a lower offer.
Meanwhile, Ronseal’s DIY expert and Senior Brand Manager, Jimmy Englezos, said: “All it takes is a few hours of TLC to give a garden a new lease of life. If you’re short on time, I’d recommend focusing on the areas that our eyes are naturally drawn to, these are: visual space, the condition of the ground and any fencing or boundary walls. Remove any debris and trim large plants back to give the illusion of extra space.”
The pair revealed that a garden that appears low-maintenance will be most appealing to buyers and will position your overall property to be sold for a higher price.
You might consider getting creative in your garden and giving it a rather unusual layout, but this can turn off potential buyers in the future and might lead to a lower price for your home in the end.
“Impractical or awkward layouts can reduce appeal. Very steep gardens, unusually shaped plots or spaces dominated by large structures can make it harder for buyers to see how the garden would realistically work for them,” David said.
While it might be curious to look at, the thing that potential buyers value most in a garden is privacy and the ability to host, the research revealed.
Future garden dwellers will want it dry. This makes it better for hosting, activities and gardening. If your garden is wet and hints at drainage issues, potential buyers might view this as symptomatic of bigger issues in the property.
David explained: “Drainage issues are another concern. Gardens that feel persistently wet or boggy can raise questions about usability and longer-term problems, which may make buyers more hesitant.”
Comments are closed.