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Answers (12)
Best Answer
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
People don't need a lot of space as long as you can give them a little flat space close to house. You can go as fancy or as plain as you like. Really you can plant bushes or climbing plants that will do a good job of covering any retaining area you put in the upper space near the house.
You can keep it basic and on the small side to keep costs down. Just enough for a 4-6 person table and a BBQ. It give the idea to the buyer of usable space without meaning you have to level the yard.
You can keep it basic and on the small side to keep costs down. Just enough for a 4-6 person table and a BBQ. It give the idea to the buyer of usable space without meaning you have to level the yard.
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
Thank you for the best answer! I appreciate it :) Good luck with your house hunting.
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
I don't think that it would impact your resale that much as long as you have a flatish area a few steps from the house.
You might also consider the cost of adding a small retaining wall for a small table sized area closer to the house that you do not have to go down steps to get to. That might be a good compromise for buyers down the line. It would allow you to landscape some steps to the flatter area for interest, but still allow someone to BBQ near the house or enjoy their morning coffee.
You might also consider the cost of adding a small retaining wall for a small table sized area closer to the house that you do not have to go down steps to get to. That might be a good compromise for buyers down the line. It would allow you to landscape some steps to the flatter area for interest, but still allow someone to BBQ near the house or enjoy their morning coffee.
- Sean0
- Contributions:5
To SUNNYVIEW:
The steepness is close to the second picture i.e. the one with stone steps. So, basically to access the backyard there are about 10 steps, after that they yard is fairly flat (not 100%, but ok).
The steepness is close to the second picture i.e. the one with stone steps. So, basically to access the backyard there are about 10 steps, after that they yard is fairly flat (not 100%, but ok).
- Jeanne Feenick, "TopNJAgent"
- Contributions:149
Anything that causes you pause will have the same effect with future buyers. I have a listing now that is plagued by "lay of the land" concerns. Young families are looking for a level yard so their kids can play and "kick a ball", for those that want a pool, the slope may not accommodate their future plans. So it really all does depend for you on how you plan to use the property. But whatever you decide, expect that it may affect the pool of interested buyers when you go to sell.
I'll tell you one thing that a sloping backyard can create and that is the perfect scenario for a very nice walk out/daylight basement - and that is a selling point.
You just can't have it all ;-)
I'll tell you one thing that a sloping backyard can create and that is the perfect scenario for a very nice walk out/daylight basement - and that is a selling point.
You just can't have it all ;-)
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
Or this steep?
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
This steep?
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
All right... I ask the question that maybe others have thought while reading your question. How steep is it? This steep?
- Dan, "the_country_hick"
- Contributions:4699
Mow the yard then think about what it means. Future buyers should consider this also.
I would not buy a house with an exceptionally steep back yard unless it has something spectacular to offer that offsets that liability.
I would not buy a house with an exceptionally steep back yard unless it has something spectacular to offer that offsets that liability.
- wordsmth
- Contributions:361
It all depends.
If all, or most, of the houses have a similar configuration, then it won't matter much.
It also depends on whether the yard--after the drop--is usable. If it is, then it's only a moderate deduction. But if the whole backyard slopes at, say, a 15 degree angle, then really none of it is usable and it would be worth less than homes with usable back yards.
However, it also depends on the placement of the house. In the neighborhood I live in, houses are on roughly 1/3 acre lots. However, the houses aren't placed exactly in the middle. In fact, they're usually at one corner--so a house may have a huge front yard and little back or side yard. Or it may have just a small front yard but a huge back yard. In that case, it really depends on what you want.
It also depends on whether the buyers have children. Families with children generally like like back yards. They don't want their kids playing out front near the street.
Hope that helps.
If all, or most, of the houses have a similar configuration, then it won't matter much.
It also depends on whether the yard--after the drop--is usable. If it is, then it's only a moderate deduction. But if the whole backyard slopes at, say, a 15 degree angle, then really none of it is usable and it would be worth less than homes with usable back yards.
However, it also depends on the placement of the house. In the neighborhood I live in, houses are on roughly 1/3 acre lots. However, the houses aren't placed exactly in the middle. In fact, they're usually at one corner--so a house may have a huge front yard and little back or side yard. Or it may have just a small front yard but a huge back yard. In that case, it really depends on what you want.
It also depends on whether the buyers have children. Families with children generally like like back yards. They don't want their kids playing out front near the street.
Hope that helps.
- Pasadenan
- Contributions:21466
It may be a value "adder" if it creates a spectacular view.
Zillow factors such things into their estimates based on the last sold price adjusted for last sold date.
By the way, the CEO of Zillow posted a question on a similar topic, asking how much it would cost to level a substantially sloped back yard for a property he was considering buying.
Zillow factors such things into their estimates based on the last sold price adjusted for last sold date.
By the way, the CEO of Zillow posted a question on a similar topic, asking how much it would cost to level a substantially sloped back yard for a property he was considering buying.
- sunnyview
- Contributions:25139
It really depends on the houses in your area. If step down backyards are common, then buyers will assign less of a value difference to them. If most yards in your area are flat and useable, you may take a slight drop in listing price to compensate when you go to sell.
Uneven back yard pricing and resale
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