MasterCard: Gardening can boost house prices by £8,600

13.06.2006 According to a survey recently carried out by MasterCard, keeping your garden tidy could add thousands to the value of your house. 
The company has claimed that last year home-movers could have boosted the value of their properties by £5.9billion collectively, or £8600 individually for ensuring outside spaces were well tended. Although half of Britons consider themselves gardeners, many people moving do not think of presenting their gardens as well as they could.

Television gardener Diarmuid Gavin commented on the impact of gardening; "Gardens are becoming an increasingly important part of the home and as such, their value is also increasing."
The research has shown that for every £100 spent on a garden, a house’s selling price could potentially increase by £350, and adding particular improvements could raise the value even further.
Having a well-landscaped garden can raise the selling price by as much as £6,200, and decking can add up to £2,500. Other ways to liven up gardens can include water features, which are estimated to add £1,495 and patio areas, which add around £2,500.
If you don’t want to cash out on new improvements you can make your existing garden look fresher by mowing the lawn regularly, clearing away any rubbish and trimming hedges and borders.