With the house itself being the focal point of any property purchase, it can be easy to neglect the importance of the garden. Sellers often put a lot of effort into making the interiors of their homes look as presentable as possible at the expense of investing money in their gardens.
In many cases, the garden can make up the majority of the land in a property purchase, so it’s vital that your garden looks as good as it can. There are also a number of gardening ‘Faux-Pas’s’ which can even reduce the interest your property will get when it comes to selling up and consequently reduce its value.
In this guide, we’ll go through some of the top gardening mistakes which can put buyers off your property and reduce its value.
A poorly maintained garden
It may come as somewhat of a surprise, but simply having a garden that looks messy and uncared for can really put off a lot of buyers. Sellers can often fall into the trap of thinking that the garden can be easily sorted out by the new owner and won’t be as expensive as fixing and maintaining the house.
The truth is that many buyers who want to move in and be able to make use of the garden immediately will simply overlook your property. If the garden is in a state, it creates the general impression that the house won’t have been kept to the highest standards either.
Depending on the extent of the unkemptness, the buyer could end up having to fork out thousands of pounds to get it to the standard they want, either having to employ a gardener or spend much of their free time doing it themselves.
Poor drainage
A garden that doesn’t allow water to drain easily can knock thousands of the value of your property. If water is able to accumulate and flood it could cause damage to your home meaning even more expense. It the worst instances, the water pooling could even cause damage to the structure of your property.
This issue also makes it harder for plants and other vegetation to grow and thrive.
You can improve your garden’s drainage by pricking or spiking holes in the soil, growing more plants, build raised flower beds and by using bark chippings.
Invasive plants
Plants like Japanese Knotweed and English Ivy are every property owner’s nightmare. Japanese Knotweed, with its deep roots, if left untreated and allowed to propagate, can cause damage to the foundations of your property and inflict significant structural damage. This could potentially make your property unmortgageable, meaning your pool of potential buyers will be much smaller.
Japanese Knotweed can cost thousands of pounds to remove, and normally requires a professional, so many buyers will instantly dismiss your property should they find out your property is contaminated with the dreaded plant.
English Ivy can often be seen on the outside of properties and can also cause damage to the exterior of properties. The best way to get rid of it is to cut it at the stems with a sharp saw and then dig out the root.
Artificial grass
Having artificial grass in your garden ought to be carefully considered. Some families with young children will prefer the artificial grass, however most prospective buyers will more likely not be fans of it and will want to remove it in favour of the real deal.
Depending on how much artificial grass is in your garden, it could cost thousands to remove, with buyers potentially offering less for your property if they are not willing to absorb the cost.
This article was written by an online estate agent House Sales Direct. If you wish to sell your house fast and for free, then head over to the House Sales Direct website for more property related information and enquiries.