The view is beautiful. The photos look incredible. Estate agents tend to mention the words "overlooking the square" within about three seconds of opening the front door.

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And honestly, they're not wrong.

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For overseas buyers, particularly those from the US and Canada, living next to a garden square feels like discovering a secret version of London. Suddenly you're in the middle of one of the world's biggest cities, yet outside your window are enormous trees, birds, lawns and people quietly reading books on benches. In areas like Kensington, Belgravia, Chelsea and Bloomsbury, these private green spaces are one of the things that make Prime Central London feel so different from Manhattan, Toronto or Chicago.

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There's also a prestige factor that is hard to ignore. Some addresses are desirable simply because they sit on the right side of the square. Two very similar apartments can have noticeably different values depending on whether they overlook the gardens or face the back of another building. Buyers have been paying a premium for these views for generations.

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But there are a few realities that don't always make it into the brochure.

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The first is that not every garden square is actually accessible. Many are private and reserved for residents with a key, which is wonderful if your building has access and considerably less exciting if your view consists of watching other people enjoy it.

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Then there's the noise question. Buyers often assume that overlooking greenery automatically means peace and quiet. Usually that's true, but not always. Some squares host community events, charity runs, summer parties and the occasional enthusiastic gardener with a leaf blower at surprisingly ambitious hours.

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Maintenance can be another surprise. Those spectacular mature trees everyone loves can also block natural light, particularly in lower ground floor and first floor apartments. A gorgeous green outlook in June can become a rather dark living room by November.

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None of this means you should avoid buying a London property overlooking a garden square. Quite the opposite. For many overseas buyers, access to private gardens in Central London becomes one of the things they value most about owning a London pied-à-terre.

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The real answer to the question is that it's usually both a privilege and a problem, just heavily weighted toward the privilege side.

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After all, there are worse problems to have than deciding whether your multi-million-pound London apartment has slightly too many trees outside the window.