How Can Landscaping Improve Property Value?

Buying a home, we only need to look at the most popular home marketing websites such as Rightmove or Zoopla to see that the focus of the purchase is routinely placed on the attributes of the home. This includes the floorplan, dimensions, condition etc even though there are so many factors other than the building itself that attracts buyers.

It’s not uncommon to hear that a home’s most notable feature is something other than the ‘house’. Features such as proximity to public transport, school catchment areas, local facilities and indeed, the size and layout of the garden space all have a significant amount of influence over how popular a property becomes when placed on the market.

When it comes to selling a home, drawing attention to features, including those above becomes important, as this can significantly enhance offers made on the property. However, as some of us have experienced, it’s about striking a balance between investing in the property to make it stand out, and ensuring that the monetary and time investment is rewarded by being able to put the property on the market at a higher price.

Many people ask, does landscaping improve the value of a property? According to research published by Post Office Money in 2019 [source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a27374960/garden-landscaping-increase-property-value/] landscaping can improve the value of your home significantly. Furthermore, the research determined that it can increase the value of your property by 77 per cent. 

The research goes on to claim that compared to other types of home alteration, landscaping even outranks adding a conservatory, or renovating and installing a new kitchen by some margin. Why is landscaping able to increase the value of a property so much?

Landscaping Improves Aesthetics & Kerb Appeal

The demand of potential buyers directly influences the value of a home. It follows that when you improve the aesthetic of a property, a greater number of potential homebuyers are going to find the property more attractive and desirable as a home. Interest rates and mortgages to one side, the sale of a home is influenced tremendously by emotion on the buyer’s side and for this reason, improving the aesthetic is a simple way to let more people see themselves living there.

Landscaping directly influences the kerb appeal of a home and a well-landscaped frontage is likely to convey a sense of prestige to the outside world, something that many buyers place much value on.

Landscaping Demonstrates an Attitude to Care

Home buyers naturally care about the history of the home as this paints a picture of what the future may look like. When potential buyers feel like a property is well-maintained, this view lends itself to instilling the belief that the likelihood of major, and therefore expensive problems arising after moving in is low.

A well-landscaped garden demonstrates that the current owners take pride in the property and invested in the space as a home, and not just an asset. 

Good, well-thought-out landscaping can create the ‘wow factor’ for a property and walking into a space that you can see yourself living in speaks directly to the emotions of the buyer. When a potential buyer stands on the decking, looking out across what feels like deliberate planning, appropriately maintained plants and clean lines separating pathways and artificial grass, it’s very easy for them to feel at home.

Potentially Improved Security

Home security is always a consideration for every potential buyer. Whilst the purpose of landscaping is to improve the garden aesthetic and practicality of use, it also lends itself to being a major aspect of ensuring the home isn’t seen as an easy target.

Good landscaping naturally removes many of the outside aspects of a home that somebody trying to gain unlawful access to the property would find desirable. An obvious example lies in good quality fencing that creates a solid border around the garden space serving as a stronger deterrent than old, weathered and broken fences that can easily be breached. Another common example comes from good domestic garden landscaping always considering lighting, something that undoubtedly increases the likelihood of an unwelcome visitor being seen by neighbours or the occupiers.

Well-looked-after spaces are generally perceived to be more secure by those looking for an easy target and landscaped gardens certainly present themselves as such. This will be a consideration for buyers and therefore carries significant value in the property market.