Saga Insurance, sponsors of this years Chelsea Flower show, found that 82 per cent of Brits believe the garden is the most important feature when house-hunting.
The survey, of 2,500 people, also showed that it is also the area of the home which gets the most attention when the keys are handed over.
Most people will spend at least £500 improving their garden, and this slight cost could add at least £7,570 to the value of the property.
Andrew Goodsell, Chief Executive of Saga, said: “Whether you’re improving the curb appeal of your house in preparation for sale or enhancing your living space purely for pleasure, this research shows that the impact a garden has on both property prices and emotional fulfilment can never be underestimated.”
According to the poll, the majority of people bought their home fo £164,170, spent £500 on cosmetic changes, and went on to discover the value of their home had increased to £171,740.
A quarter of green-fingered folk were so keen to improve their garden, they began completely replanting the lawn, shrubs and plants as soon as they moved in.
Other key additions to the garden include a fish pond, a decked or patio area and a pergola.
And a staggering 39 per cent gutted the garden of all its original contents and started from scratch, re-designing the layout and re-landscaping.
Interestingly, the poll revealed that the under 30Â’s age group are on the ball when it comes to increasing the value of their properties and almost 50 per cent of people aged 19 to 30 say they have significantly the value of their homes by making improvements to the exterior of the property and the garden.
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