Forum

Replies

• 

  Kristen November 6, 2008 at 11:08am

  "First time buyers would be willing to pay £4300 for a well cared for garden"
  
  I'm paying more than that PER YEAR to develop mine. But there again my garden isn't the average size ... :)
• PRO

  Phil Voice November 6, 2008 at 12:04pm

  I have just read the article - What's the cost of a garden - that Dale mentions.
  
  I think that there are two schools of thought here. One is that a keen gardener would be happier to take a poorly presented plot and haggle the price down substantially so that they may develop the garden in a way that suits their own tastes and style.
  
  The saving on the property can more than pay for the garden restoration/landscaping.
  
  The second thought is as suggested in the article. If you are looking to sell a house then having the garden tidied up will make it all the more saleable to a buyer.
  
  I think it may be a great way of investing in property in the future i.e. buying a house with a poor garden and just superficially tarting up the décor (maybe a new kitchen and bathroom) but investing wisely in the garden.
  
  Target the landscape for the right demographic. If it is a family style home then landscape it with large open lawn and installed play area but if you are looking to sell to a middle aged couple then landscape the garden with large terrace for sitting and entertaining, perhaps a conservatory and well thought out and stocked shrub borders.
• 

  Daniel Johnson III November 8, 2008 at 4:51pm

  a bunch of american and australian sources I've read say adding up to 10% of your homes value will add value to the home per se - after that its the law of rapidly diminishing returns. I find with my clients that this is generally so. The value add doesn't seem to be a fixed number but a relative number. Perhaps the 9000 figure is on the average home price?
• 

  Debbie Britten November 10, 2008 at 8:28am

  cough - could you point me in the direction of one of these clients in waiting! I have not yet met a client who understood how the 'kerb appeal' will improve the saleability of their house, and that to spend a bit of money now will ensure a faster sale. I think that that's the point - it's not about increasing the value so much as increasing your likelihood of selling quicker than the house with the unkempt garden. Tailoring the design is the way to go, provided the client understands that this is another room they'll use in the future. But they never like the price.......
• 

  Colin Elliott November 10, 2008 at 12:51pm

  Over the years I have had a few clients spending money with us to move a house, but generally these were the less expensive jobs. I have had a few with steep slopes which have put off potential buyers. I remember one enquirey resulting in a £40,000 quote. He took the view it would be simpler to discount the house by £40k and it was hard to argue.
  I've used the 10% of house value quote many times and that can reassure people. With clients where I used to live occupying £500,00 - £1,000,000 homes that can add up to something quite useful!
• 

  Daniel Johnson III November 10, 2008 at 4:08pm

  if anyone feels like looking up some links to this information it might be useful for all of us .... not a lot of time here
• 

  Richard Boyd December 12, 2008 at 8:20am

  As a student myself and two others did a survey of just over 100 gardens to try to work out the potential value of a garden in relationship to a property. Without boring people stupid the maths worked out @ between 4-7% of the property value is a good ROI for the client. More than that it becomes the clients choice but they will be unlikely to recuperate any additional spend.
• 

  Kerrie John-The garden design Co December 12, 2008 at 7:28pm

  www.zoopla.co.uk is another site where you can see the last selling price.
• 

  Susan December 13, 2008 at 10:36am

  I am going to try and organise an experiment - by getting a valuation before the landscaping and one after to see what the addition is in property value...anyone want to join? It will take a little cooperation from the home owner but I think it will be interesting.
• 

  Lawncare-4u.co.uk December 15, 2008 at 12:13am

  I was taught that it was 10% on my garden design course, which incorporated almost every topic thoroughly, as the lecturer was a life-long landscaper (still aged about 50)