Garden Improvements ‘Add Privacy And Value’

Taking out a cheap loan to pay for some improvements to a
garden could enable potential house sellers to raise the
value of their home, with the aesthetic pleasure, privacy
and protection offered by a well-developed garden often an
enticing proposition for those looking to buy a property.

According to comments from a partner of chartered surveyors
Cluttons, while putting money into your garden solely for
the purposes of adding value to a house is not that common,
it would more likely be used to offer privacy or block out
eyesores, especially in areas of the country where gardens
are small and properties and buildings are close together.

"For example, if you've got an ugly block of flats behind
you, or if you've got another house really, really close to
you looking into your garden, it's quite nice to do
something that's going to take your eye off that and give
yourself some privacy from whatever's going on behind, [by]
maybe planting a tree or something like that," said
Alasdair Mackenzie, the Cluttons partner in charge of sales
for Clapham and Battersea.

While a cheap loan could be a good way to fund any large
developments to a garden, any money borrowed should not
just be focused on the back of the house. Presentation of a
home, especially when it comes to making a sale, can be
crucial, with people "always quite keen on how their house
looks from the outside", according to Mr Mackenzie.

Crucial in any changes to gardens or even the interiors of
a house, Mr Mackenzie said, is the need to create a feeling
of space. The partner suggested that it is not necessary to
improve the actual space that is on offer in a garden,
rather enhance the perception that there is space beyond
the kitchen window, through choosing the right flooring to
match the garden, something that could be paid for through
a cheap secured loan.

"Very occasionally people will do their garden, if it's
quite small, in a way that it blends in with the house. For
example, they may have a wooden floor going on to decking
or a slate floor with a slate patio beyond it. That's quite
good because it gives more of a feeling of space," Mr
Mackenzie said. He also added that some people like the
idea of bringing the garden into the home, using
concertinaed glass doors that offer a view on to the garden.

Any homeowners that are considering splashing out on any
improvements to a garden or house should certainly avoid
store cards when purchasing their goods from DIY shops or
garden centres. Earlier this month, Martyn Saville from
Which? said that unless consumers plan to pay off the
entire balance of the store card once the bill comes in,
they should "avoid store cards altogether". Which? is
attempting to get credit providers to use scenarios for
customers to see the outcome of, for example, leaving a
balance on a store card, some of which carry APRs
approaching 30 per cent.

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Abbi Rouse is Editor in Chief for All About Loans. Our
visitors have access to cheap loans of all types: From home
improvement loans to bad credit debt consolidation loans.
Visit our site today: http://www.allaboutloans.co.uk