Diana Clement: Prepare to cook up a feast

There are plenty of Kiwi businesses offering to turn your back yard into a gourmet paradise. Photo / Getty

That beacon of Kiwi-ism, Sir Graham Henry, showed off his Argentinian barbecue (parilla) on television.

Such is New Zealand's obsession with outdoor eating that more homes come resplendent with fancy cooking contraptions.

Sir Graham had his parilla built especially for his Waiheke property. But where there's a trend there's always a business not far away. And there are plenty of Kiwi businesses offering to turn your back yard into a gourmet paradise.

Real estate agent Paul Foster of Ironbridge says a pizza oven, parilla or barbecue isn't necessarily going to add more value to your property. But anything that dazzles buyers could well make them feel warmer towards it.

"Depending on the location and its price point, an outdoor cooking facility may not necessarily add too much value," says Foster.

Most Kiwis would be happy to have a built-in barbecue. Not as many are keen on a permanent pizza oven. For that reason Foster recommends clients use portable appliances for the staging, which can be taken with them.

"While pizza ovens have become quite trendy and some people swear by them, they are not everybody's cup of tea. Some people prefer their outdoor cooking to be less of a permanent fixture and therefore a barbecue on wheels makes a lot more sense," says Foster.

"They can position it according to wind, rain, to be more social while entertaining. It is quite a personal thing so trying to add value by catering to the masses with a built in outdoor cooking facility is not a given, again depending on what end of the market the property is in."

On the other hand, says Foster, outdoor living, and in particular indoor outdoor flow do have a massive influence on the appeal of a property, the size of the buyer pool and ultimately the value.

"I'd go as far as saying Kiwis are obsessed with indoor outdoor flow. Aspect is also very high on buyers' agendas, so if there is the right combination of being well positioned for sun, indoor-outdoor flow and also a good barbecue/outdoor living area, you are on to a winner."

Real estate agent Andrew Murray of Apartment Specialists always looks to add a barbecue, table and chairs to a balcony or ground floor patio if at all possible. It helps potential buyers imagine themselves living at the property and entertaining after work.

This is a really important step for buyers, he says, who may have grown up in the quarter acre paradise, but are moving on to becoming owner-occupiers, which is a growing market in Auckland.

"If [buyers] see a barbecue it shows they can entertain and have people around and show off that space," says Murray."

Ground floor apartments often have patios and Murray has seen pizza ovens used in the staging as well as a barbecue.