If you are in the market to buy your dream home, you should consider investing in a house with a garden. A beautiful garden will add value to your property and make it easier to sell the property whenever you plan to do so. If you find a house with a garden in tip-top condition, you are off to a good start. What if the garden isn’t in a good condition? There are many things to look for in a garden when shopping for your dream home. Find the best online estate agents to help you in your search.
Here are some of the most important factors to consider when you are shopping for a house with a garden.
1. Problematic plants and trees
There are certain trees and plants that could cause big problems for you and your family once you move into the new home. For example, Japanese Knotweed is one such plant. It grows out of control and is difficult to remove. The plant can cause extensive structural damage to the building, garden walls, foundation, and drainage system if not removed in time. You should find out if the new property has Japanese knotweed before investing in it.
You can avoid investing your hard-earned money in problematic properties by taking such actions. Visit https://www.japaneseknotweed.org.uk/identification if you need experts in identifying Japanese knotweed, and it offers advice on how to get rid of them
On the other hand, many homeowners opted for fast-growing conifers in the early 1980s when they were on-trend. These gardens are paying the price now. Structural damage can become a real problem if mature trees and located closer to the house. The best thing is to work with a reliable surveyor to assess the property before you decide to purchase it. A Home Buyer Report will highlight such problems even though you have to spend some money on the report. You can avoid investing your hard-earned money in problematic properties by taking such actions.
2. Which way does the garden face?
This is another important factor to consider when investing in your dream home. You already know that a south-facing garden will receive more light. But there are many other implications as well. A north-facing garden will let in less natural light and be cooler. Some people may like such a garden, but for homeowners who enjoy gardening, north-facing gardens can affect the types of plants they grow due to the lack of sunlight. North-facing gardens hold more water than south-facing gardens. Hence, drainage can become an issue with such gardens.
Even though most people focus on north and south, you shouldn’t forget the east and west. Buying a garden facing one of these two directions will help many buyers just as well as a south-facing backyard. If you are at work the whole day and like to spend the evenings in the garden, a west-facing garden might be ideal for you. On the other hand, if you love to have your morning coffee out in the fresh air, you should opt for an east-facing garden. In fact, it is all about your personal choice.
TIP – Even though most property descriptions won’t state which way the garden faces, you can easily find out yourself while viewing the garden. You may check the smartphone’s compass or ask the agent which way the garden is facing. It will give you an accurate assessment of the garden’s direction.
When house hunting, the importance of a garden can’t be overstated. For families, having outdoor space provides children with a safe environment to play and explore, and for adults, it serves as a place to relax, entertain, or even try their hand at gardening. Gardens also offer the opportunity to create functional outdoor spaces that can increase the enjoyment of your home therefore you should consider the direction it faces to ensure it suits your lifestyle. For example, some homeowners might consider adding features like outdoor pizza oven kits, which can transform a simple garden into a social hub for entertaining friends and family with homemade meals. Additionally, a well-maintained south-facing garden can add significant value to the property, making it an appealing feature for prospective buyers.
3. Access
Access is another important consideration when investing in a property with a garden. How you get into the garden might be difficult to change once you buy the property. Hence, you need to think about it before investing in the property. For example, semi-detached houses will have side entrances to the garden. But some will have garages and extensions built on the side of the house. You may have to access the garden via the house in such circumstances. The same will be true for mid-terraced properties and townhouses.
This can become a problem for everyday use. On the other hand, what happens if you need any work done at the rear of the house or want to clean the back windows? Not having access to the garden from the outside of the property can become a problem for some of the homeowners. You need to consider these things when viewing the property.
4. Sheds and fences
A good shed is usually a grand addition to any garden. It can become a focal point in the garden. The shed is great for storing tools and equipment, and it needs to be sturdy and secure. Check the integrity of the locks, doors, and windows of the shed. On the other hand, a shed that is in a poor condition can become a liability for the buyer. If it isn’t secure enough to store anything of value, old sheds can deteriorate further until you knock them down. It can be quite a task over time. Hence, if you want to avoid extra work, you should check out the state of the shed before buying the property.
The popularity of garden rooms has skyrocketed since the Covid 19 pandemic and you may be lucky enough to find a new home which features one. The most common use is a garden office but there’s plenty of fantastic rooms used as gyms, bars and more.
Garden rooms are an expensive purchase and may influence the overall price of the property so make sure you have it thoroughly inspected and obtain any warranty of guarantee information as you may need to transfer it to your name.
Fences can become a problem over time if they haven’t been maintained properly. Most often, you will have only one-half of the garden’s fencing to worry about because of the boundary rulings. You need to check the status of the fences in the garden before you invest in the property. If your side of the fence looks great and the neighbor’s side looks iffy, check whether the problem has been taken up with the neighbor before you invest in the property.
5. Maintenance
Maintenance is an important factor to consider when you are shopping for a house with a garden. Can you handle the maintenance of the outdoor space as it is? Will you need to hire a gardener for the job? Do you like the landscaping or need improvements or changes? Check all these things before you decide to finalize the agreement and purchase the property because once you invest in the property, you may find it difficult to change the decision. Additional costs may mount up if you don’t prepare with all these things before buying your dream home. You should have a plan to cover up any additional costs you might incur from the garden and home that you plan to invest in.
Are you in the market to purchase your dream home with a beautiful garden? If so, you have come to the right place. While the house should be your focal point when investing in a property, you should not forget what is going on outside of the home too. The aforementioned article provides important information on what you need to consider when you decide to purchase your dream home with a garden.