Charlie Dresen, SteamboatsMyHome.com
Want to add value to your home? Plant a garden in the sky.
Rooftop gardens are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to wow buyers and shore up the value of your home, real estate agents say.
Homes in big cities benefit the most from a rooftop garden, where homeowners sacrifice yard space for the urban experience. But even suburban homeowners are taking advantage of deck and roof space to grow gardens with an elevated view.
“It’s just such a luxury to have somewhere you can go that’s outside of your four walls,” said Leslie Piper, consumer housing specialist for the Realtor.com and a real estate agent. “Buyers really see it as something indulgent.”
That’s actually part of the reason why for a time interest in outdoor spaces like roof gardens had been withering. But as the housing market recovers, buyers’ appetites for these unique outdoor havens have returned.
When Realtor.com surveyed 1,000 buyers about what makes them fall in love with a home, outdoor living spaces came out on top, beating out their desire for open floor plans and curb appeal. About 51 percent of those surveyed said that outdoor space was the most attractive quality in a home.
“It’s certainly cropping back up as something that’s becoming more important to homeowners,” Piper said.
Buyers are specifically looking for outdoor fireplaces, wet bars and a lounge area for entertaining, as well as a place to grow their own fresh herbs and vegetables, she added.
Most of the amenities for an outdoor space can be added by the homeowner, so they tend to be a relatively inexpensive way to add value to a home.
“You can go online now and look at all these great resources that are out there, and in the past you didn’t know where to start,” Piper said. “That kind of access to ideas is really spurring these spaces.”
If you are looking for an attractive roof garden built in to a new home, check out these seven homes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/media/7-beautiful-rooftop-gardens/
