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The subtle trick to increase the value of your home by $20,000

In a day and age where landing your dream house is becoming increasingly difficult, homeowners know they need to pull out every trick in the book to boost their property’s value.

Whether it’s a fresh coat of paint to the front door, upgrading outdated cabinet handles or using a high-pressure hose on the driveway, the smallest of upgrades can make the world of difference to the right buyer.

And while it may seem obvious, researchers from the University of Queensland have now confirmed one sure-fire way to boost the property value.

Research showed would-be homebuyers are willing to spend more if the house is surrounded with the right armount of greenery. Source: Getty
Research showed would-be homebuyers are willing to spend more if the house is surrounded with the right armount of greenery. Source: Getty

Their research showed that the right amount of greenery surrounding a property can instantly add up to $20,000 to your property.

Dr Lyndal Plant said homebuyers were steadily influenced to pay above average price for properties with the right amount of trees and greenery.

“When we put that into the equation it revealed home buyers were prepared to pay a significant premium to live in a leafy street and that premium was up to 3 per cent,” Dr Plant told Domain.

So taking into consideration Brisbane’s median house price of $551,840 that premium equates to roughly $16,000 worth of additional value.

Homeowners can add as much as $20,000 to the value of their home with some simple trees and bushes. Source: Getty
Homeowners can add as much as $20,000 to the value of their home with some simple trees and bushes. Source: Getty

That said, Dr Plant emphasised the importance of doing so in moderation, insisting too many plants could be overkill.

“Too many trees on the property was actually a negative. There was a threshold of tree cover on the property that flipped it around and made it a premium,” she added.

“The flipping point was about 20 per cent, which is about one tree or about two trees covering a fifth of the land.”