How Can We Stop Our Land From Being Degraded?

You probably selected your home because you fell in love with it and it suited your needs. You might have needed a larger house for a growing family or a smaller house as your family start to leave home. But the one thing you haven’t thought when buying your home is ‘This will definitely go down in value’.

If your land is degraded then the value of your home will be reduced, ultimately it could become less than you paid for it! Fortunately there are several things you can do to prevent this from being an issue.

Local Projects

If there are building projects going on in the area then these can increase or decrease the value of your home. You will need to employ the services of good residential surveyors who will be able to advise you if building projects are likely and the effect they will have on your land.

These surveyors can also check your land to confirm what resources currently run underneath it and whether your neighbors or a utility firm have any rights of access. This can certainly affect your ability to improve your land by adding additional buildings.

The Soil

Degradation also applies to the actual ground your home sits on. If this starts to lose quality it can open the risk of erosion. This can then lead to weakened foundations or disappearing gardens. To protect against this you will need to keep a top cover of vegetation which can ensure that the soil remains nutrient rich.

Looking after your yard can literally prevent your home from losing value as well as adding curb appeal.

The Neighbors

One problem that can be difficult to deal with is when a neighbor fails to look after their property. No matter how good your neighborhood is, one messy or worse, crumbling house, can make the area look uncared for and decrease the value of all the properties in the area.

Fortunately this is relatively easy to deal with. If you speak with your other neighbors you can approach the house in question and find out what the issue is. You might discover that they need help and you’ll be able to build relationships as well as prevent your land from degrading in value.

Plants

One issue which can easily be overlooked is plants. In fact a well stocked garden can add to the visual appeal of a property. However there are some plants which can undermine the foundations of a house, such as Japanese knotweed. A good surveyor will spot this and advise you before you purchase the property or before you have it valued. If the plant presents a threat to your foundations then it can degrade the value of your property by as much as 20%!

There are many things which can lower the value of your property but almost every one of them can be resolved with a little planning. By using a good property surveyor and a little common sense you can be assured of maintaining or even increasing the value of your land.