With the residential property market experiencing difficult times and a buyers’ market, sellers must ensure their properties present the best possible picture. That’s why gardens are so important.
Good estate agents will advise sellers on how best to present their homes to potential buyers. But what turns a potential buyer into a signatory on a deed of sale? There is always the age-old caveat of position, position, position, but there are a number of other important issues. What’s the most important? “First impressions”, Pam Golding Properties’ Life President Pam Golding states flatly.
The property must look attractive, so a lick of paint and a wash and brush up are vital for those showdays. Then there are the fundamentals – size, layout, configuration and style. Open plan living is today’s way of life. The kitchen is critical, as are bathrooms and toilets. A study helps, as does a play/TV room for family harmony. Multiple garaging also helps.
At present we have very much a buyer’s market, so every possible attention to detail helps to achieve a sale.
Another factor in today’s residential market is the demand for outdoor living – not simply the patio, the braai area, the pool and such. These need to be framed by a really attractive garden, all too often overlooked when computing the cost of a home.
“Gardens sell houses,” says Pam Golding emphatically. “The first thing I did when I got a house to sell was to look at the garden. Today, relaxed living has become so important. A good wall and an imposing entrance leading into a garden or courtyard are also very important.”
A really excellent garden can in fact add up to 20% to the selling value of a home. It’s purely a rule-of-thumb yardstick since residential properties vary so much. You may, for example, have a large, imposing townhouse with virtually no garden worth talking about to ostensibly add value. But size is not all that important. One could have a small apartment with a verandah which has been carefully tended with flowers, creepers and pot plants – all making a difference. Says Pam Golding: “If you haven’t got a view, for instance, you can create one in your own garden. What’s important in a townhouse is the focal point of an imposing front door and an entrance leading through the courtyard with nice features including walls, trellises, water features, climbing gardens and so forth.”
Overseas, gardens are taken seriously. In the United States, insuring gardens, shrubs and trees is commonplace and this has led to the formation of the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. The value of trees, for example, has been quantified to the last centimetre for loss or damage. Appraisers apply basic formulae based on trunk circumference, plus a species percentage rating. Additional value is also placed on historic trees and their location. There is a classic case in Virginia of a century-old black oak, the loss of which was accepted as being worth 9% of the value of the total property.
Trees of historic significance are common in South Africa, as are the country’s many beautiful gardens, both private and public. For example, Liz McGrath, owner of the Cellars Hotel in Hohenort, Cape Town, whose garden has won numerous international awards, says her prize possessions are her ancient camphor trees, some of which probably came to this country during the days of the Spice Route. Mrs McGrath does not view her magnificent 9,5 acres of incredible beauty in an intrinsic sense. “This garden has evolved through love and interest,” she avows. “We have seven gardeners, who all came as labourers many years ago and who have evolved into expert gardeners. A friend, Jean Almon, helps supervise the garden.”
Another famous garden in the grounds of a Cape Town hotel is that of the Vineyard. Its six acres or so is an international attraction and a huge selling point for the hotel itself. Horticulturist Chris van Zyl, the Vineyard’s environmental manager, has been in charge of the Vineyard’s grounds, and those of the two other hotels in the group, since 2001. “Yes, we obviously have features of historical significance,” he says, “but the subject of insuring the garden or specific plants has never been brought to my attention.” Nevertheless, the group spends R400 000-R500 000 a year on garden maintenance.
Specific garden insurance is rare in South Africa, if it exists at all. Most property owners consider that their homeowner’s policy also covers the garden. In most instances this is true, but the cover is minimal and sometimes only covers such things as theft of garden furniture, and, perhaps, damage or breakdown of pool motors, pumps and irrigation systems, more often than not limited to R5 000 or so. One mortgage bank says its homeowner’s policy only covers the building and not the land or growth on the land. A claim for damages based on liability is a different matter. An example is that of a domestic gardener who inadvertently cut the supply of electricity to a neighbour’s home. The neighbour was overseas and came home to find that his irrigation system had not worked for three months – in the height of summer. The garden had to be replaced. The neighbour’s insurance provider paid up, but based on liability cover.
Problems to consider include fire, flood, disease, theft and vandalism. Garden theft is prevalent in the UK, where more than a million cases are reported each year. Vandalism in public places is endemic in South Africa. In one public park in Cape Town, police have taken to painting the trunks of specific trees, the bark of which is being stripped for “muti”.
An example of basic garden insurance cover in the UK is as follows: Claims limit £10 000 in any one year; £500 per plant or shrub; £2 500 per statue, ornament or garden furniture; re-landscaping up to £2 500. Items can be specified, preferably with photographs.
A well designed and well kept garden is not simply about aesthetics, or even value. Trees, for instance, are important for the shade they provide. They reduce temperatures in and around the home. According to the US Forestry Department, three well placed trees can cut air-conditioning costs by 10%-15%.
If you are starting from scratch, or planning to really turn your garden into something to turn heads, using a qualified landscape architect can also add value. It needn’t cost the earth, says the South African Institute of Landscape Architects (Ilasa). “Landscape architects develop design solutions to suit their clients’ budgets. They prepare estimates of what proposals will cost and ensure that they are implemented cost-effectively by calling for competitive tenders from reputable contractors. The preparation of detailed documentation helps to avoid unforeseen expenses during installation. They take the responsibility for the successful completion of landscape works – which then constitute an enduring investment.” But Ilasa is talking about design – not implementation.
Starting a garden from bare soil on, say, a half acre plot can cost as much as half a million rands, even more.
From the point of view of selling a house, the Ilasa documentation becomes a useful marketing tool to show potential buyers, much like a full service history on a motor car. Moreover, should you be able to unearth insurance cover for your garden it provides detailed costing.
How landscape architects charge is an issue. A fee is usually fixed at a percentage of contract value; the South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession (Saclap) has published a scale of fees. However, when a contract value is not applicable, landscape architects charge on an hourly basis, as recommended by Saclap.
Saclap can provide a standard client-architect agreement. It outlines the responsibilities of both parties during the course of the project.
There is no shortage of advisory organisations. As well as Isala there is the South African Landscape Contractors Institute (SALI), which confers awards mainly on commercial projects, including developments; the SA Landscape Contractors Association, and the Green Council.
Article courtesy of Pam Golding Properties' Intellectual Property magazine.
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