Faraway Furniture™ Journeys

Did you know that a garden is one of the most desired features of a house for potential buyers? In fact, having an attractive garden is far more important than having a well-presented bathroom or kitchen, according to a survey of 2,000 homeowners. On average, house hunters would be willing to spend an extra £14,448 to buy a home with a garden – a substantial amount of money – and has the ability to add a hefty 20% onto your property’s value.

However, there are certain garden features that can potentially cause a decrease in property value when it comes to selling. Faraway Furniture has spoken to several experts to reveal the garden features that can potentially leave you out of pocket and how much these unappealing features can cost you or potential buyers in the long-run.

What makes a property value decrease?

John Graham, owner of Dwell Estate and Letting Agents in Leeds, says these are the most significant garden features that are most likely to devalue your home:

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed is the most well-known and feared of all garden problems as it can have a serious impact on a property’s value and can deter potential buyers from purchasing a home. As a result, before selling your home it is a good idea to get your property professionally treated – do not try to treat it yourself as this can result in the Knotweed spreading and becoming worse. Depending on the extent of the growth, it can cost between £5,000 and £20,000 to remove Knotweed yourself.

If you are looking to sell, it’s worth noting that a buyer can sometimes argue the price of the property down by 10% if the house has previously had Knotweed growing.

Artificial grass

This really depends on the buyers’ preferences, but most buyers do not like artificial grass. The main exceptions to this are for family homes, as artificial grass can be a low-maintenance option if children and dogs frequently use the garden.

The cost of removing artificial grass and replacing with natural grass is around £150 per square metre, on average. If there are other houses for sale in the area that have natural lawns, you may be looking at a 5% reduction in the sale value of your home.

Water features

This depends on the buyer’s preferences, but many homeowners will see outdoor water features as a pain to maintain and would therefore want to have it removed if they purchased the house.

Depending on the size of the water feature, and how it is “plumbed” into the garden, this could knock off between £2,000 and £8,000 the property.

Unkempt garden 

Staging your home properly for viewings is one of the most important ways a seller can get as close to the asking price for their home as possible. Keeping your garden manicured and free of clutter is an essential part of staging process, especially if you live in an urban area where gardens are a luxury.

Buyers are often told to look for the “potential” when they view a garden space, however some people want a nice garden without having to do much work themselves – especially first-time buyers and young families. As a result, leaving your garden unmanicured can knock 1 to 2% off the sale value of your home.

---

Tom Scarborough, CEO of Movewise, believes the following garden faux pas can cause a property to decrease in value:

Broken fence panels

Fences are important as they are the main source of privacy in a garden, and this is a feature most potential homebuyers would look for. Additionally, it keeps wild animals at bay and ensures pets and children are kept safe at all times.

Broken fence panels or cracked walls at property boundaries can remove £1,000 form the value of your house if not fixed, so it is worth getting sorted. If it’s not your fence, you should get in touch with your neighbour to get this rectified as soon as possible. To find out your boundary fence, you should check your property deeds.

Swimming pool

As exciting as it sounds to purchase a property with a pool, some buyers with pets and young children are often very reluctant to due to safety concerns. Furthermore, the proportion of the garden that has been taken up versus how much use it will get is a major factor that buyers consider.

Not only this, buyers are often put-off by properties with a swimming pool as they cost an estimated £2,737.50 to maintain per year – the cost of a family holiday.

Tired-looking furniture

Garden furniture is replaced less frequently than inside the house, which means that garden décor can become outdated quickly. This means that a potential buyer must factor in a budget t rectify this to suit their own taste, which can result in a reduced offer. In fact, according to Household Landscaping, £3,950 is how much it costs to redo an outdated garden, which could potentially be how much is knocked off your asking price.

As a result, it is worth giving your garden a mini makeover before putting it on the market. Even if you aren’t taking your garden furniture with you to your new home, the time and effort spent to ensure it is in good condition can spell the different between getting your asking price, or not. You can entirely transform your garden furniture by simply giving it a lick of paint or wood stain.

In the future, when it comes to purchasing garden furniture, it is a good idea to purchase timeless teak garden sets, as it is not only low maintenance, but it has the ability to last forever, unlike other types of garden furniture such as iron or rattan.

You may also like: A Guide to Purchasing No Maintenance Garden Furniture