The fast-track to boosting your property's value starts with a pot plant
A splash of green is adding gold to Aussie homes, with exclusive figures showing buyers will pay up to 28 per cent more for a leafy property and over $500,000 more in Sydney alone.
The new data reveals houses with greenery collect about 17.4 per cent more nationally, roughly $140,000 on the collective capital city median house price, while units fetch 16.2 per cent (or roughly $100,000 extra).
The findings come from Australia’s first Plant Value Report, conducted by Greener Spaces Better Places in partnership with Domain.
It shows Sydney buyers leading the charge, paying a 28.7 per cent premium for houses and 23.4 per cent for units.
Domain chief of research and economics Dr Nicola Powell says the figures showed just a few smart pot plant additions could drastically increase buyer appeal.
“I do think the green premium is becoming more important, and greenery in general is becoming a far greater priority for prospective buyers,” she says.
“We already know that adding plants to a home is good for wellbeing and mental health, but greenery also enhances aesthetic appeal and feeds into the liveability of a home.”
Properties featuring greenery also collect more views and sell faster – a day quicker for houses and three for units – based on property listing data captured between September 2024 and August 2025.
Experts say the trend reflects shrinking block sizes, the creep of the concrete jungle and even a lingering love affair with plants born during the pandemic, as an established garden or just a leafy balcony signals homeliness, lifestyle and even prestige.
Powell says that, as housing footprints shrink and affordability tightens, greenery is becoming an attainable and accessible way to elevate our lifestyles.
“From a herb on the windowsill to a fully landscaped garden, it allows you to get creative with small spaces,” she says.
“Australians are rediscovering the power of plants and the green premium is very evident across all our markets.”
Georgi Bates of Cunningham Real Estate says that, in Sydney’s dense suburbs, greenery is becoming a powerful way to soften city living, create privacy and bring small spaces to life.
“Landscaping is often the last thing people spend money on … but buyers don’t want to do it themselves,” Bates says.
“People are visual … and they go in with their heart. We’ve had numerous properties that haven’t been styled or had landscaping done. And when the vendor has finally taken our advice, it’s a whole different selling experience.”
Bates says buyers are willing to fork out about 20 per cent more for styled properties with landscaping, and plants are now a crucial ingredient for nabbing premium prices.
In apartments, she says, greenery is key to boosting homeliness, with buyers increasingly valuing an outdoor balcony to house some plants and a table.
Bates points to a unit at 8/6 Cohen Street, Fairlight, that she sold three weeks ago for $1.7 million – well above its $1.4-1.6 million price guide.
“It sold after just one week, and we had nearly 40 groups of people through it. The greenery and styling were something that a lot of people were wowed by,” she says.
In Brisbane, the green premium sits at 24.4 per cent for houses and 18 per cent for units.
Ray White New Farm’s Josh Brown says the bar for landscaping has dramatically lifted over the past decade, and with it, buyer demand.
He says a yardstick for the value add can be seen in new developments that first sell without established landscaping, only to be sold a few years later for a price that far outstrips average market growth.
“When you give a property time for the vegetation to establish, it gives a totally different aesthetic,” he says.
Brown recently sold a foliage-framed home at 19 Fifth Avenue in Bardon for $3.82 million after more than 100 groups inspected it.
“It was like a high-end hotel,” he says. “Buyers look at homes emotionally. They picture having birthdays there, and 20-year wedding anniversaries and graduations.
“They are spaces people are proud of, and when those spaces are illuminated and there’s greenery, it really changes the look and feel and the house.”
In Melbourne, the green premium is a little lower for houses at 15.3 per cent. But for units it’s a little higher at 17.8 per cent.
Trevor Grange of Jellis Craig Fitzroy agrees that landscaping contributes to premium prices, with manicured gardens a key ingredient of a wider buyer trend that favours renovated, tidy and move-in-ready homes.
“Buyers work on a pendulum of emotion … and greenery or gardens stimulate a positive emotion and entice buyers to look,” he says.
Grange sold 5 Canning Street in North Melbourne at auction for $1.802 million last Saturday for well above the $1.55 million reserve thanks to a shared backyard that helped sell a lifestyle and community.
“In the marketing, we gave good transparency as to how that space can be used,” he says.
“We helped buyers understand how they would use the space and even what the community of people there were like.
“And buyers responded so well to that. We introduced them to the neighbours so they knew who they were jumping in with, and had letters from the owners on display with their profiles of them with their two children and dog.”
Beyond the capitals, the report shows the biggest house green premiums are found in regional South Australia, with buyers splashing 30.3 per cent more. For units, regional Queensland topped the list with buyers paying 17.4 per cent more.
The plant value report also showed that, nationally, houses featuring greenery receive seven per cent more online views, but despite that, only a third of listings feature specific greenery words.
Nursery owner Wes Fleming of Fleming’s Nurseries says greenery is accessible to all, whether it’s a pot plant with herbs on the balcony or a landscaped backyard.
“Greenery brings atmosphere and vibrancy, it helps people feel relaxed and comfortable, and the best part is, it’s accessible to everyone,” he says.
“You don’t need acres of land to make an impact; even small, thoughtful touches of green can add genuine value.”
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