The grass is greener when it comes to property values

Survey shows how to add $40,000 to your home overnight

Letting the grass grow under your feet could prove a worthwhile tactic in increasing the perceived value of your home, a new study has revealed.

The survey of 2,000 Australians, undertaken for Turf Australia by independent strategic research company Brand Story, was conducted to measure perceptions of the value of the ‘great Aussie lawn’. Respondents consisted of 75% suburban homeowners, 10% inner city dwellers and 15% individuals who were planning to buy a home with a backyard in the next two years.

Those surveyed were shown two images of an identical house with different landscape surfaces at the front of the property and 68% of respondents believed the house with turf to be higher in value.

When the survey asked people to suggest how much more the house with lawn might be worth, 66% of respondents believed it to be worth 10% or more in value. Based on the average house price in most Australian capital cities that equates to between $40,000 and $55,000.

When asked why lawn was preferred over other surfaces the most common reasons matched practicality with aesthetic appeal. The most common reason cited was “grass gives you more choices for playing and living” (79%) followed by “grass softens the look of a home” (78%).
Ray Moir, spokesperson for Turf Australia stated, “The survey proves what we all know, Australians love their ‘patch of green’ and houses with a good lawn will fetch more at sale time.

This is important to anyone selling a home, but particularly to those most affected by the slowdown in Australia’s housing market and rising interest rates.”