Having those particular features that attract a buyer to your home can add up to £50,000 to the value of your property, according to a leading estate agency.

Bradford & Bingley Estate Agents asked buyers what was the most important feature that attracted them to a new a home. Somewhere to park their car came out top, closely followed by a garden and proximity to good schools.

Parking Most Popular

With over 24 million U.K. households owning one or more cars it is no surprise that buyers place a garage or an allocated parking space top of their wish list.

Gary Verity, Head of Retail Property Services at Bradford & Bingley Estate Agents explains:

“Buyers in central London can pay up to a £50,000 premium on their property with an allocated parking space or garage. Around the rest of the country, car drivers can expect to pay premiums of anything between £10,000 in smaller towns and villages to £20,000 in bigger towns and city centres to ensure their home has somewhere to park their vehicle.”

Great Gardens

Green fingered buyers are also out in force. A private open space for relaxing and pottering around in comes in at number two on the buyer’s wish list. A garden can be an urban haven for those living in towns or cities and is almost always evident in larger countryside homes, but how much does a nice garden add to the value of your home?

Gary continues: ”Having a garden is always a major a selling point, and can add up to £20,000 on the value of your home, not to mention increasing a property’s saleability.”

Dining rooms are still in demand

According to Bradford & Bingley’s research the number of buyers who rate having an extra reception room as the most important reason for choosing a particular property comes in at number five in the list of sought after features.

Fashionable ‘open plan’ living is on the increase and many new homes combine the kitchen and dining room or have a family room that serves a multitude of purposes. However there is still an abundance of traditionalists in the marketplace and having an extra reception room will continue to add up to £20,000 to the value to your home.

Sought after schooling

Education is also high up on the list of priorities for buyers. Good schools are of key importance, particularly to those buyers with a family or indeed those thinking of having one. Such is the importance of sending your child to the best school that in many towns we have seen the emergence of ‘hot streets’. Buyers looking to buy a home within the catchment area of a particular popular state school may pay as much as a 10% premium to do so.

Gary Verity commented: “We were surprised that car parking topped the list, particularly when we are considered a nation of garden lovers and many parents are fiercely competitive about getting their children into the top schools.”

“Our research does show that if you are fortunate enough to have at least one of the priorities on a buyer’s wish list you may be able to ask a premium for your home.”