house with small patio - resale

[user1480889603]

I bought a small house 2 years ago and I’m worried that it when comes to sell I won’t be able to. It was a 2 up, 2 up down, with bathroom upstairs. A property developer renovated it and installed a loft room and ensuite. So it’s now a 3 bed and when I moved in I stripped the floorboards, added a wood- burner and extra storage. But the garden, whilst ok for me and my teenage son and very low maintenance, is only 15ft x 16ft. I think it’s the smallest garden in the whole street - the others are not amazingly big either. The house is ideal for rental. I have a lodger and it works very well with the extra bathroom. But sometimes i wish I had a bigger, leafier garden and I am quite concerned about resale as I think probably families would look at a house like this. When I was buying it, there wasn’t much competition for the house. I got it for £20,000 less than the asking price but it was probably already over priced. And by then I’d already paid for the surveyor (and there wasn’t too much on the market where I wanted to buy). So the property developers did not want to negotiate as they did not need to sell, I was told they could just keep it and rent it out if they didn’t get the price they wanted.
What do people think? I know it’s too late to worry about it but I am worried! A year ago I had it valued to see what difference my floors and redecorating had made and the estate agent valued it at 20,000 more than I paid and thought it would be easy to sell.

Not sure the question, do you have an opportunity to buy more land to entendre the garden and you're wondering if it's worth it?

Not everyone wants a big garden. Gardens mean lawn mowing, weeding, a shed to keep gardening tools in...

You can still make it a nice space. There are loads of ideas on Pinterest on designed small gardens.

I don't think families would look at a 2 up, 2 down with no loft storage space anyway. They're more likely to look for a traditional 3 bed. So the lack of garden is less of an issue because the house probably doesn't appeal to that group anyway. Imo its probably more suitable for a working couple who have guests occasionally. And they probably haven't got time for gardening and just want a small space to sit outdoors.

Why are you concerned with selling if you have not been there long. If it suits you at the moment, just enjoy it for what it is.

I would think a 2 bed with a small patio would suit quite a few people - FTBs, couples with no kids, singles who want more than a 1 bed flat, downsizers who want somewhere to sit out and have a few pots, but don't want all the faff of major gardening.
It's possible to make small outdoor spaces extremely attractive, that is if it isn't already. If you look at some garden-design websites, at their before and after pics, you will probably get some very good ideas. I've seen some amazing before-and-after shots of really tiny, dingy spaces utterly transformed.

I am a middle aged single person and that garden size would be perfect for me. Easy to maintain and just enough room for bins, drying laundry and sit out if I wished.

My current garden is too big for me and frankly just a massive ball ache as I have neither the funds nor the inclination to be bothered with it.

It is a 3bed not a 2 bed. it was originally a 2 up 2 down (a small house) but before i bought it had a loft conversion so now has an ensuite. That's my point - it's a 3 bed with a small garden

It's a 3 bed

Just to clarify - it WAS a small house, with 2 beds. I said that to give some indication as to the size of the house overall. The loft conversion was done and it's now a 3 bed with one bathroom and one ensuite. But with a very small garden - 15ft by 16ft. The picture makes it look bigger than it is. There is no way to extend it. The layout is good - garden is off the kitchen and the kitchen leads on from a small, but open plan living room/diner.

Would still suit plenty of people, I'd have thought - maybe couples with no kids who might like a lodger to help pay the mortgage? Dd and SiL's first house was a 3 bed with a patio - they had lodgers on and off for the nearly 4 years they were there.

I think that if it's a pleasant outside area, and can hold a small table & chairs etc., that lots of potential buyers will be ok with it.

I have a small garden (renting) and I've made it gorgeous with pots, containers etc. Haven't time for more, and I'm glad not to have to mow the lawn anymore!

It's not a 3 bed house though. It's a 2 bed with a loft conversion. It won't have the amount of living space or storage space commensurate with a normal 3 bed house (where the bedrooms are all on one floor with a proportionally large living area and a loft for storage).

Our house is exactly as you describe and here (London) it definitely counts as a family home - as spacious as anyone has in this area. So expectations are going to vary a lot depending where you are.

When we were viewing houses lots had small gardens and the things that made them feel like usable family gardens were

• bins out of sight / stored at front
• table and chairs
• lots of greenery (climbers on fences etc)
• big raised beds round the edges not just pots

Just make the outside space as nice as you can. It sounds like a good house for a couple planning a baby in the near future. The garden needs to be a calm space, somewhere to sit with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Make sure it’s secure so you could leave a baby sleeping in the shade when it’s hot, add a couple of pots and a bird feeder for some interest and you’re done.
Why the anxiety, it sounds nice?

No point stressing about it if it can’t be enlarged, so focus on making the space as appealing as possible. Think of it like a room and think about storage for bins / garden tools, furniture placed to make the most of the sun depending on the aspect, etc. Make sure that the lawn is well-maintained and plan your planting and containers for colour and scent. As a PP said there are loads of ideas for small gardens on Pinterest and elsewhere online, and small, low-maintenance gardens are very appealing to lots of people.

I’ve got a disproportionately small garden but I love it and wouldn’t want a house with anything bigger. It always looks neat and I think of it as another room. Definitely look in Pinterest for some inspiration but you can’t go wrong with a cafe set, a few well maintained pots (geraniums are easy and colourful) and fairy lights.
Also just because your house is 3 bed doesn’t necessarily mean it will only appeal to families. We sold our last 3 bed house to a single man. No idea what he wanted the other two bedrooms for but if you can afford a house that size why wouldn’t you?

It sounds like the retirement proeprty I'm looking for. My current 100 foot garden is exhausting.

I'd want the top floor for a lodger, it's handy having the extra cash and my son and his wife come over a lot to stay.

I think you’d attract a good selection of buyers. Put in some thigh height planters around it, with some climbers going up the fencing to green it up, a nice paving and a small patio table for 4. Présented well, it will be a feature for those that don’t want a large space to look after

I have a period four bed detached with two patios, and some planting at the front. It didn't worry us when we bought it, as I like a large house, but can live without a lawn. As long as I have space for a table, chairs, herb pots and a BBQ, I am not worried. I kill plants just by looking at them, and time spent mowing could be spent drinking wine....