Gardens top house buyers wish lists, according to Zoopla, with 50 per cent saying they are at least as important as the kitchen

published 13 August 2019

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that when it comes to looking for a new family home, a lovely garden will often be high on a homebuyer wish list. But would you consider a garden as more important than the interior space?

Well, according to research from Zoopla and the Society of Garden Designers, 50 per cent of people revealed they would.

When the property website polled 2,000 Brits they found that they considered a well-designed garden as more important the bathroom or kitchen choosing a house. The poll also revealed that 47 per cent of people would even been put off buying or renting a property due to the condition off the garden.

house with backyard garden and flower pots

However, it is not just selling your home that a garden spruce can help with. Spending a little extra on your garden could also boost the value of your home. The researched revealed that Brits would be willing to spend on average an extra £14,448 to purchase a home with a garden.

In the South East, 91 per cent of people ranked a garden as number one on their wish list and were found to be willing to pay the most in the country for it at £21,925.

However, Yorkshire and Humber found people were willing to spend the smallest premium on a garden at £9,068. Yet 84 per cent of would-be-buyers in this area believed that outside space was important.

‘It’s well known that the Brits have a passion for gardens and gardening so it’s not surprising that so many of us consider a beautiful outside space important in our own home,’ says Sarah Morgan, Chair of the Society of Garden Designers.

‘We know from our members that having a garden designed by a professional garden designer can add significant value to a property but, quite apart from the overall ‘wow’ factor, a good garden design can also add something really special to a home,’ she adds.

Still, if you don’t want to fork out for a professional gardener but are lacking Monty Don’s green thumb why don’t you take a look at our easy gardening tips?

Will you be giving your garden a little makeover before putting it on the market?

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.