While a garden in tip-top condition is a great asset when you’re selling your home, there’s a consensus from the property market that you don’t have to use excessive time, effort and money to make a notable difference to it.
It’s been one of the best springs for a number of years, with endless days of sunshine and warmth. There are many aspects of self-isolation and lockdown that are frustrating and seriously limiting, but those with their own private outdoor space have had one compensation – for many, it’s been the perfect climate for making the most of it.
A well-tended garden can be a key factor in getting the best price for your home when you come to sell it, but you don’t have to go crazy on time and budget to make a big difference
“Smartening up your garden ahead of putting your house on the market is always a good idea but don’t go over the top or you risk losing out,”, says Bruce King, director at Cheffins Saffron Walden. “Generally, buyers in the market for a house with a garden will be looking for every extra square foot of space, inside and out, but it’s the size of the garden that will be reflected in the value, not the intricacy of the landscaping. The chances of meeting every buyers’ expectations are remote but you can be savvy. At Cheffins we usually advise vendors to make small changes to their garden that don’t require a lot of labour or expenditure to increase the saleability and perceived, if not actual, value.
Vincent Reboul, managing director at loan provider Hitachi Personal Finance, underlines that particularly with life in lockdown, people shouldn’t go overboard in transforming the garden: “With many now spending a lot more time at home, it’s important we don’t forget to take care of ourselves and our households. Whilst spending time in the garden can be beneficial for our overall wellbeing, getting everything in order can be overwhelming and also expensive.”
Here are five things to do with your garden without putting your hand in your pocket before putting your current home on the market.
Start with a tidy up
Straighten up your outdoor space a new lease of life. As Scott Chandler, former Kew Gardener said: “De-weeding your patio, fixing that wonky fence panel or simply mowing the lawn will turn a scruffy garden into a purposefully rustic outdoor area.” Bruce agrees: “Clear the garden of rubbish, old bikes and rusty implements so you can show the space off to its full potential. Mow the lawn, get rid of the weeds and the old clothes-line.”
Check your sheds and greenhouses
Don’t forget about your garden buildings, says Vincent, as the winter months can take their toll on your garden buildings so use this time to and make sure they are still in good stead. A fresh lick of paint and regular ventilation now the weather is improving will help your garden buildings and plants within them stay healthy. “Don’t pull down the old shed or outbuildings as these do add value and they are highly sought after features with potential to create more affordable living space,” adds Bruce.
Divide your plants
If you’re wanting to up the number of flowers and plants in your garden, without any additional cost, divide or split summer-flowering plants. This way, you’ll be able to add more colour to your garden whilst also making your original plants healthier by making sure they don’t overgrow. Primroses, daylilies, asters, geums, heucheras, hardy geraniums and Japanese anemones are all suitable for dividing.
“Why not grow your own vegetables, using the off-cuts of foods like potatoes, celery, lettuce, peppers and onions,” says Kerry Jones, sales director of Mulberry Homes, which donates to charity World Land Trust to help to protect substantial areas of land and wildlife across Mexico and Zambia. “Not only does this teach you a new skill and encourage you to spend more time in the wonderful outdoors, planting your own fresh produce can benefit your cooking.”
Create ‘zones’
You can help make the space feel bigger by doing things such as moving garden furniture into one section to create a seating space, with children's play items creating a mini play area. Bruce offers a note of caution here. “If the design of the garden includes tight, enclosed spaces that don’t lend themselves to a football being kicked around or a make-shift game of cricket being set up, that will alienate just about every buyer with children.”
Entice wildlife
“Tying a bunch of hollow sterns like bamboo together with string and placing them in an old terracotta plant pot or open wooden box will create a lovely new bee hotel for your garden, helping to preserve the dwindling bee population,” says Vincent. Kerry Jones suggests: “Set up a simple fountain or birdbath in your garden and provide birds and bees with a source of water.”
Bruce concludes: “Fundamentally, a simple tidy garden is more sale-able than one that looks like Steptoe’s back yard but equally re-creating Capability Brown’s designs is not going to sell your house either. It’s all about scale rather than content. Keep it simple and the offers will come in. Then you’re in the driving seat with multiple offers on the table.”
Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAEA Propertymark commented: “While being unable to list your house at the moment may be frustrating, the extra time you’re spending at home makes now a great time to take some simple steps and get your property into its most valuable condition for when the market picks back up. A well-kept garden really does give your home the ‘wow’ factor.”