In previous blogs, we have advised that investing in a new kitchen or bathroom, or revamping the front of your house, are good ways to add value and desire to your home when It comes to selling. However, there is one property change you can make that costs less than £40 – and could add thousands of pounds to the value of your home.
And that’s giving your home a name!
Buyers can pay up to 40% more for houses with a name rather than a number, and it costs less than £40 to personalise your address, and in our recent survey, 85% of people said they prefer a house with a name rather than just a number.
In hamlets, villages and some smaller towns where houses are not built on a regular ‘street’ system, there is no logical way to number houses. Often such properties are not arranged in straight lines and rows, and there could be decades between builds, so naming the house allowed a way in which to identify specific properties.
Way before this modern technological age of Google maps, sat-nav, and geo-tracking, and even before road signs were prevalent, naming a house based upon its location to local landmarks would have helped to find it. For example, “Crow Wood Cottage” or Hillside House”. Alternatively, some property names gave an indication as to who lived there or what the property was, such as “The Mill House” or “Blacksmith’s cottage”. Other names and grand house names such as ‘Hall’, ‘Manor’ and ‘Castle’ were chosen partly as status symbols. New houses in rural areas or one-off developments are often still given traditional British names today.
Can Any House Have a Name?
If your property currently just has a number and road name, it is possible to add a name to the address. If you live in an apartment or flat, it also may be possible to name it, however, think about how this would work in practice – are you able to display the name at the entrance to the building, for example? If your property has a self-contained annexe with its own separate address, then, in theory, it is possible to change or add a name to the annexe.
Does a House’s Name Affect its Value?
A survey by onthemarket.com found that up to £30,000 could be added to homes with regal names, such as Crown, Castle, Royal etc. It appears that there is a definite association with names, whether that be of a person or a house. Of course, there are many names but they can usually be categorised in 3 groups; the traditional, such as “The Bungalow”; the nostalgic/romantic, like “Cherry Tree Cottage”; or the rather quirky, such as “Cowpat Cottage” (and yes it does exist).
Memorable names are good, and names of stature can genuinely add value to your home. However, one must be careful to match the name with the type of property. Naming a bungalow ‘The Manor’ doesn’t really fit, but something popular and aspirational like “Orchard Cottage” or “Mulberry Lodge” may provide a more desirable address and tip a buyer to choose it over another property.
Houses with more traditional and common names – such as “Orchard Cottage”, “The Cottage” and “The Old Post Office”, do appear to sell proportionately faster than those with quirkier names, which perhaps, suggests that familiarity plays a greater role when it comes to home buyers choosing a new home with a name.
So, what are the best names?
Most of the top ten botanical house names are based on trees, showing the love the British people have always had for trees and woodland.
In 2016, properties named after the Mulberry tree or bush had an average sold value of £518,000 – 19.5% higher than the average named property, with those house names including the word” Chestnut” averaging £512,000 – 18.1% higher than the average named property. So, if you are thinking of choosing a house name inspired by a tree, Mulberry or Chestnut could push up your sale price.
Why are Houses Named After Trees?
12% of land in the UK is currently forested. This was even higher long ago when hamlets and villages were first built. Over time, Britain lost a lot of woodland during times of war, and more recently for land for agriculture and industrialisation. So when many British homes (especially rural homes) were built, they were close to areas of woodland. Properties may have been named after a nearby landmark tree, the type of wood used to construct the home or because trees represent strength and longevity - qualities that people want in their home.
Using the word ‘Foxglove’ in the name of your property puts your home in the highest average sold value among floral house names, at 8.6% higher than the average named property, with ‘Wisteria’ named homes at 6.0% higher and ‘Lavender’ at 1.7% higher than the average selling price.
The other floral names in the top ten have lower sold prices on average, compared to all named properties, however, this could be because properties with floral names tend to be smaller properties, like cottages and bungalows. So, if you are planning to name your smaller type of property, then these 3 names could be a blooming good choice.
Why are Houses Named After Flowers?
Properties with floral names suggest a romantic, homely, cosy home. The people who originally named the property may have taken inspiration from the garden and surrounding land. Many of the top ten floral house names are based on flowers renowned for their strong scents – lavender, honeysuckle, rose, jasmine bluebell and lilac – which may have been used to help the home smell better in bygone days of smoky fireplaces and dampness. Houses named after flowers may have been named after real people with floral names – a wife or daughter, perhaps.
The popularity of floral house names shows that homes and flowers have had close associations for many, many years in Britain. In addition, when it comes to selling homes, having fresh scented flowers and plants displayed around your home adds to the charm and character and desirability of your home.
House Names Inspired by Nature
Houses can be named after their natural surroundings without referring to a specific tree or flower. ‘Garden’ tops the list, with an average sold price 23.6% higher than an average named property. The popularity of trees is also evident in this list – with forest, wood, woodland, tree and orchard all appearing and, with higher values than the average British named property. So if there is no obvious tree or flower to name your house after, or they all seem to be already taken locally, you can take inspiration from one of these names.
Should I Call My Property Cottage, Lodge, or House?
Once you’ve decided on the perfect flower, tree or other prefixes for your home, you may then want to add a descriptive reference of the property, such as ‘Cottage’, ‘Lodge’ or ‘House’. There are many other options, such as ‘Villa’, ‘Manor’, ‘Fold’, ‘Nest’, ‘Hill’ or ‘Towers’, but Cottage, Lodge and House are the most popular.
Of course, you must be careful not to mislead or misrepresent your home. Part of the rules of naming a property is that you must not pass off your home as something else. (For example, the local authority is unlikely to allow you to a name your house after the name of another building that already exists or causes confusion. i.e. if you live in the village of Harewood, you wouldn’t be able to name your property “Harewood House”, because it already exists.) Equally, if you have a very substantial house, a new build or a modern building, using the name ‘Cottage’ will just seem odd.
How Do You Change a House Name?
It’s a relatively straightforward process to name your existing property. The local borough council have the relevant application forms on their website, or you can email Building Control. A fee of £38.00 is payable with your submission. (If your home is a new build the fee is slightly more expensive at £87.00.) If your house already has a number, in many cases that number will remain part of your address.
You will need to inform your bank and other organisations which hold your address. If your address does not match with any held on address databases such as the Royal Mail’s, things could get tricky when trying to buy things online or provide identity documents etc.
Can I Call My House Anything I want?
The local authority will not approve names which are offensive, forbidden or already used locally. As we mentioned earlier, it is best to avoid names which could be confused with other local houses, as this will simply delay your application and also you may find your deliveries are left at the wrong home.
So, for less than £40.00 you could potentially add thousands to the sale value of your home if you pick the right name. Your home could become more desirable to potential buyers and sell much faster and for more money! With expert marketing, you could be moving on to your new home in no time. To find out how we could help you sell your named home faster, why not give us a call on 01423 563077.