Would You Buy A 4 Bed House With A Tiny Garden

[whatwhat]

literally 2m x 3m
We want to buy our first house.. its the only one we can afford.. its a dooer upper.. so we would like to make some money on it eventually.. but the tiny garden is the only downside..
Any thoughts would be very gratefully received (its three bed atm.. but we were going to convert the loft...)

[silliemillie]

I don't think it will be cost effective to add a fourth bedroom, you would not get the money back you paid out for the loft extension.
You would be better off doing a really good re furb on a 3 bedroom IMO.

[Robinia]

3m x 2m isn't a small garden it's minute. It must be smaller than the back yards on Corrie :)
I wouldn't want a two bed house with so little outdoor space, never mind mind a 4 bed. There are a couple of places places like that not far from me and they can't sell them.

[woofgang]

even a high fence or wall can look good. We had a wall at the end of ours and we put up brackets and put troughs on them so we had hanging gardens. A mate of ours put a fake gate on the wall and a trellis arch around it.

[FredPuli43]

What town is it near? What rail links are there? Converting the loft is well worthwhile. I had a house in Fulham which I did that to, and that increased the appeal and price far more than the cost of it. Mind, around there the buyers wanted the loft for the au pair ! Yours may be the same; young professionals with small children aren't fussed by the size of a garden, and that one had only a postage stamp walled yard, so long as they've got the bedrooms. With four bedrooms they'll probably use one as an office, doubling as a bedroom occasionally, one for the au pair, one for themselves, and one for the child/ren.

[ELVIS68]

I suppose the only good thing about it is if it rains when you're having a barbecue you can flip the burgers from indoors without getting wet

[boxtops]

I wouldn't want such a tiny garden - we're busy career people but I still love my outside space, even though most of it's down to paving and gravel for low maintenance. The size of outside space you mention is more like what's attached to a basement flat. That's not a garden, it's a storage area :-(

[Baldric]

Not a chance!

[EDDIE51]

some people hate gardening and would regard it as a bonus.

[ummmm]

Where does flats come in to it?

No, I wouldn't buy it.

[ELVIS68]

Just because people don't like gardening, I wouldn't think anyone could say that was a bonus

[ummmm]

People who don't like gardening still like to sit outside.

[EcclesCake]

I lived in a four bed house with what I thought was a small garden, it was 20x30m. The space you are describing is where you store your wheelie bins, it is not a garden and would definitely be a deal breaker for me.

[sherrardk]

You need to hang your washing out, maybe space for a table and chairs, paddling pool for any children, need for personal outside space? If you've got four bedrooms you would assume there would be some kids about who would need some safe outside space

[ummmm]

Someone like BernieCuddles could barely lie down in it :-)

[woofgang]

elvis, if you have a big area and don't like gardening you have to do something to keep it tidy, even a lawn needs mowing and paving or hard landscaping is expensive and likely to be off putting to people who do want a large garden and will be put off by a paved over one. All in all, the OP's house is not going to be the most valuable one in the street but, depending on what they pay for it and how they do it up, it does have potential to sell, especially if its in a good school catchment area.

[sherrardk]

If it's in a good catchment area the people buying it will have kids = need for a good sized garden.

[ummmm]

You don't even a need a good sized garden. Just a garden. Like Eccles says, it's about big enough to store bins.

[woofgang]

not if its all you can afford to get into the catchment area sherrard

[eltelioni]

There are areas where you can sell a 3 or 4 bedroom house with a small garden. If it is close to a college it would appeal to student sharers. If it is near a railway station with a fast service to London it would appeal to young professionals. People will sacrifice a garden in exchange for being in the heart of a thriving city. It sounds like none of these apply in your case. That is why it is affordable. You will only be able to sell it on if you ask significantly less than the typical price for a 3 or 4 bedroom house in the area. There isn't much point in expanding the interior.

[ladybirder]

No, not in a million years. The size of the house is out of proportion to the size of the garden. A 4-bed house is a family house and is most likely to be sold to one but not necessarily so of course. But you are losing at least half your target market in my opinion because of the garden size as many people who are looking for a 4 bedder won't bother viewing when they see it has such a small garden. If it's in a University city you might get parents buying it for their student child and his/her mates. Of course if it's in Mayfair or Knightsbridge then things could be very different.