The treasure under the overgrowth
An example of treasure after a clean up.
When looking at properties, look for the hidden treasures (which means you have to see the diamond underneath the dirt). It’s easy when you know what to look for.
One of our favourite types of properties are the ones where you can’t see the house because of the overgrown trees and garden. These are the diamonds.
One reason they’re such a gem is the general population won’t even bother inspecting them. They may see the property advertised and it may be at the right price, but when they drive by and can’t see the house for the trees, they won’t bother inspecting it.
You need to remember that the majority of people lack the time or energy to bother with having trees chopped down and cleaning up the garden. They want a pretty house and garden, no work involved and ready to move into.
That means you have less people to compete with.
Once you inspect an “overgrown” house have a good walk around the house and garden, including the remote corners. Have a look at the types of trees that could be chopped down – things like giant gums / native Australian trees may be an issue (which most people recognise), other trees may just need permission from Council, and some are small enough to just chop down or could be classified as a noxious weed. When you inspect the property arm yourself with a guide from Council on what trees can easily be removed.
When walking around the garden see if it looks relatively easy to tidy up – check garden edges, garden beds, types of plants (and weeds), hidden structures underneath the weeds. Most of these things can be quickly remedied. A lot of times you’ll also find treasures underneath the weeds. One of our houses had a Japanese maple and rose bushes hidden under the weeds meaning less plants to buy and they’ll look great in the garden.
The other benefit of these overgrown properties is they are generally vacant – putting you in a position to negotiate early access for things like measuring up so you can start renovating as soon as it settles. Not only that, it can mean the house is older and ripe the benefit for renovation. If you are a really good negotiator, you can even negotiate start the work prior settlement.
Having lots of trees and overgrowth is great because:
- It’s a quick and easy fix for a small cost.
- It’s only plants so nothing structural that takes time and hold up the renovation.
- Tree loppers are quick (make sure you check on permission to chop down the trees) and once the trees are gone it makes a huge difference to the appearance of the house.
- Saving cost on mulch – ask the tree loppers to leave the mulch and you can use in the garden.
- Ripping out weeds is also quick and inexpensive (and a great way to relieve stress!!) either yourself or a gardener.
- Clearing the garden will make an incredible difference to the street appeal and add instant value to your property.
- You open up the market to the general public who want the ‘ready to move into’ house and garden.
Remember the less attractive the house is to most people, the more of a gem for you.
Really working on an overgrown house can be a quick, effective way to add value to your property and make it easier to sell by appealing to a wider market.
So when looking for the right property, remember to look for the diamond beneath the dirt. In this case, we make over 20% increase on the property and it didn’t cost much because it is a strata titled property.
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