Gardens are considered so important homeowners will spend money to improve their outdoor space to increase property value.
The latest research from Zoopla reveals home hunters are prepared to pay a premium of £14,448 for a house with a garden when buying a new home.
Gardens are as important to home movers and first time buyers as a top-end kitchen or bathroom and 74% of homeowners are willing to spend money to improve their outdoor space and increase property value.
Sarah Morgan chair of the Society of Garden Designers said, we know from our members that having a garden designed by a professional designer can add significant value to a property.
Premiums paid for dream gardens
The biggest premiums are paid in the South East with home buyers paying an extra £21,925 for a property with a garden followed by the North West with £18,425.
The following table from Zoopla shows the premium paid by home buyers and amount homeowners spend to improve their garden for different regions.
| Region | Premium paid | Garden spend |
|---|---|---|
| South East | £21,925 | £7,822 |
| North West | £18,425 | £5,860 |
| East of England | £13,388 | £10,822 |
| London | £13,388 | £7,434 |
| East Midlands | £12,803 | £8,440 |
| South West | £11,935 | £6,899 |
| Wales | £11,268 | £5,832 |
| North East | £10,569 | £7,257 |
| West Midlands | £10,552 | £7,812 |
| Scotland | £10,207 | £6,646 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | £9,068 | £6,435 |
For homeowners in the South East 91% are most likely to rate having a garden as being important whereas in Yorkshire and Humber 84% rated a garden with a premium of £9,068.
For remortgage buyers higher property values give them an opportunity to release capital which they can use to improve their home such a stunning garden.
According to Zoopla and and the Society of Garden Designers, 40% of homeowners would think about hiring a professional garden designer for their ideal outdoor space.
Sarah Morgan said, quite apart from the overall ‘wow’ factor a good garden design can also add something really special to a home.
For buy-to-let landlords it may be worth releasing equity to invest in a new garden for a family house if they can increase the rental income to cover the interest payments.
Homeowners spend to upgrade gardens
To improve their property homeowners are prepared to spend an average of £7,339 creating their dream garden.
If you live in the South East on average you would spend £7,822 on a new garden and this would increase the va;ue of your property by £21,925.
Older homeowners with considerable value in their property offers the equity release buyer access to cash using a lifetime mortgage which can be used to build an extension or for garden improvements.
Even after this expenditure the costs continue to maintain the garden with the typical homeowners spending £678 per year.
Of those creating their dream garden, 36% said it was to have somewhere to sit and relax was the most important feature followed by 15% to have a south-facing space or a design for sunlight throughout the day.
A further 8% wanted flowers or shrubs to be part of the design, 7% wanted space for their pets with 6% to have a place to entertain friends and family and 4% for a place to grow fruits and vegetables.
What are your next steps?
Speak to our LCM mortgage advisers if you are planning to move home, buying your first home, remortgaging your existing home to a new cost effective mortgage deal or are a buy-to-let investor.
Learn more by using the mortgage monthly cost calculators, equity release calculator and property value tracker chart. Start with a free mortgage quote or call us and we can take your details.
For equity release buyers our London City Mortgage brokers can recommend lifetime mortgages allowing you to receive cash from your property to help maintain your standard of living as costs rise or pay for care at home.
