Having a south-facing garden could add a staggering £22,695 to the value of your property, according to a new study by online estate agency Rightmove.
From window frames to bathroom tiles, there are a wealth of features that can increase the value of your property to potential buyers.
But one feature in particular could hike up the value of your house exponentially. Unfortunately, though, you either have it or you don't.
That's right, it's the highly coveted south-facing garden.
The new study by Rightmove has found that having a sunny, south-facing garden could increase your house's value by up to seven per cent.
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The online estate agency analysed data from 400,000 three and four bedroom houses in the UK. Their study concluded that those lucky enough to have their own sun-trap out the back sold their houses for £22,695 more, on average, than other houses.
The average asking price for a home with a south-facing garden came in at £369,365. Similar sized properties without south-facing gardens, meanwhile, were tens of thousands of pounds cheaper – on average selling for £346,670.
South-facing gardens are so coveted because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, meaning a south-facing garden will get the best of the sun all day (well, what little sun we get – this being the UK and all that).
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The survey's findings will come as even better news for those living in Yorkshire and The Humber: Rightmove reports an increase of 14 per cent on the price of homes that have a south-facing garden in the Northern region.
The report claims that it's the region's rural charm that attracts many potential buyers, and that the exposure to harsher weather conditions that invariably comes with it, "can be softened by a warmer southerly garden". Agents noted that a sheltered outdoor space is an "extremely important feature when they carry out house viewings in the region".
To add insult to injury for those of us without a south-facing outdoor space, the study found that houses with the highly sought-after garden sold two days quicker than others.
“Since the market reopened, we’ve seen a huge rise in demand for homes with a garden as buyers place greater importance on outdoor space,” Miles Shipside, Rightmove’s property expert, said in the report.
“For as long as I can remember, south-facing gardens have been viewed as the crème de la crème of outdoor spaces among home-hunters. Longer sunny days means you and your plants benefit from the additional warmth," he added.
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