Property news: David Maslen on garage clearance

Garages

A garage is one of the most popular items on a typical homebuyer’s list of desirables. Yet, in our experience the majority of buyers requesting a house with a garage eventually purchase a property without one! A garage seems to be one of those things that fall into the “want” rather than “need” category.

This observation provides buyers and sellers alike with an opportunity to take advantage of this apparently avoidable preference.

If you are thinking of selling, a garage is a highly desirable feature that can add thousands to the resale value of a property. Increased congestion, fear of vandalism, and reduced insurance premiums all contribute to the attraction of somewhere safe and convenient to park.

Ironically, most of the garages we see tend to be used for anything but parking, including the storage of superfluous possessions and out of season furniture. Sun-loungers, broken bicycles, excess carpeting, dried up paint pots, pieces of wood, Christmas decorations, deflated paddling pools, a spare tyre, etc. are the sort of things that tend to appear. But no car! It seems that the temptation to use a garage as an easy dumping ground outstrips the effort it takes to manoeuvre the car into it each evening. The more space you have, the more junk you tend to accumulate, so if you are selling, you would be well advised to consider enhancing your sale prospects by clearing out your garage whilst supporting your local charity-shop.

If you are buying, and one of your requirements is a garage, it might be worth taking a hard look at your motives. As only a small percentage of properties currently for sale in Brighton & Hove have a garage, a compromise in this element of your search criteria will open up a far wider range of better value properties available to you.
www.maslen.co.uk