House buyers will pay a premium for a garden, according to estate agents’ survey

Aug 13 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

HOMEBUYERS are prepared to pay an average £10,000 extra to secure a property with a garden, a survey showed yesterday.

Eight out of 10 said they would be prepared to pay more for a house with a garden, according to Halifax Estate Agents.

One in 10 people said they would be willing to pay a premium of £20,000 to get a garden, while 4% were prepared to pay more than £30,000.

Married couples were more likely to want a garden than those who are single, with 84% of married couples prepared to pay more for some outside space, compared with only 67% of single people.

Those aged between 35 and 44 were also more likely to value a garden, at 88%, while only two-thirds of people aged between 16 and 24 said they would be prepared to pay extra.

Colin Kemp, managing director of Halifax Estate Agents, said: “Our research shows that many of us will pay a premium for a property with a garden.

“Making the most of your home’s outside space could add real value and maximise any sale price.”

People in the North and Wales were most likely to be prepared to pay extra to buy a home with a garden at 87% and 85% respectively – something just 70% of people in both Yorkshire and the Humber and London said they would do.

GfK NOP questioned 1,000 people during June. Meanwhile, research from local tradesmen website Rated Tradesmen found that having an untidy garden could knock 7% off the value of your home, the equivalent of around £14,000.

Homeowners can also expect to see 4.5% wiped off their selling price if their neighbour has an uncared-for garden, and 3% if more than one person in the street is failing to maintain outside space.

By contrast, having a well-maintained garden can increase the value of a property by up to 10%, or £20,000, with 73% of house-hunters saying a nice garden was on their wish-list.

One in four people said they would not bid for a house if the neighbour’s garden was untidy, while 37% said they would put in a lower offer, with 5% dropping the price they would offer by more than 10%.

Andrew Skipwith, founder of Rated Tradesmen, said: “First impressions count and a house with a shabby-looking garden can give off all the wrong signals to prospective buyers.”

RATED Tradesmen questioned 1,200 people online and 120 estate agents by telephone during July.