To landscape or not to landscape, that is the question!
Are you hoping to bump up the value of your property by giving your garden a make over? If so there are a few key pointers that will help you keep costs down and appeal to the widest range of potential buyers when you come to sell.
The most important rule is to keep it simple! When potential buyers are viewing a property they need to be able to imagine living there. Any garish features that are very personal and of a specific taste will make it difficult for a buyer to see themselves in the property. Creating a neutral but well planned garden will help the buyer immediately feel comfortable and at home, but just as importantly, keeping it simple will also keep the costs down.
Consider the maintenance. Any buyer stepping into a beautifully landscaped garden will immediately start thinking about the maintenance involved to keep it looking so good. Some people don’t mind spending hours in the garden tending to the plants, the decking or the grass but not everyone has time these days and a high maintenance garden could easily put people off. So when you’re planning your new garden always keep maintenance in mind. The less maintenance required the better.
Think about your water bills – According to a recent article in The National up to 50% of our household water goes on the lawn. An inquisitive buyer may ask for an idea of your water bill per month. If the water bill is higher than expected then you could lose the sale, so think water water water!
Think twice before you take the plunge with a swimming pool. A pool may make your home feel more aspirational but that feeling of luxury may also negate any added value on the property or even turn maintenance-shy buyers away. There are no set rules with a pool unfortunately; it could easily be the one thing that helps you achieve a premium price on your property or conversely it could be seen by buyers as a potential albatross around their neck. Keep in mind that even the smallest of pools is expensive to install and maintain so whilst it may help you achieve the price you want it’s going to be expensive to do it. Look at comparable houses with pools and make sure you weigh up the potential added value with the potential cost.
The big grass debate, to go natural or artificial? This is one that I spend most of my days looking at so I know this subject well. There is no question about it the lawn is either the main attraction or the main disappointment in a garden so it needs to look good and feel good. A beautiful natural lawn is an unbeatable top trump, hands down winner and will certainly do wonders for a property BUT it’s almost impossible to achieve in this climate unless you have full time staff just to care for your lawn. If you think you can get it right then go for it but don’t forget the cost involved in keeping it fed and watered. If a natural lawn sounds a bit too much like hard work (and money) there are some extremely natural looking artificial grass products on the market that will look great all year around. The stigma attached to ‘fake’ lawns is no longer there so don’t be afraid that it will put a buyer off, it won’t. They will relish the idea of not paying enormous water bills, of this I can assure you. If you’re set on a natural lawn then make sure you get the right variety of grass and speak to a specialist before you take the plunge. Installing the cheapest grass available and hoping for the best is definitely not the right way of going about it. There are specific grasses that do very well here in certain conditions but it needs some thought and discussion with an expert, if you live near the sea for example you will need to find a grass that can survive and thrive in very saline conditions. Either way make sure you get your grass right, a miserable looking lawn will unquestionably put buyers off.
A well thought-out and well planned garden will certainly add to the value of a property compared to the same house with underwhelming brown and patchy space. I can’t stress enough though that it does need to be simple and well planned; a badly planned, over complicated garden could turn potentially your best asset into an expensive mistake.