Preparing a house for sale

[Temujin]

Hello all,

My partner and I are looking to get her house on the market and start looking for a new place, it's a relatively new build (~2003) but in my opinion needs some renovating to be presentable.

We've painted a few of the rooms more neutral colours, updated the kitchen with new worktop (which has since become a scratch magnet) and painted cupboard doors but a few rooms still need painting.

I wondered where do you draw the line? Completely updating everything will likely not be cost effective. Is it beneficial to repaint all the ceilings, skirting, doors and such too? Updating door furniture e.g. handles, plug sockets to match throughout the house etc.

I wondered whether getting an Estate agent round to value, and also give advice on improving presentation was a good idea?

Thanks

 

[Mark M]

You just have to watch the programs on the tv to see that all you need to do to sell a house is paint all the walls cream (or possibly light gray now) and add some cushions and throws. People cant look past the decor, sorry I should say not many people can look past the decor, so make it neutral and light and it will be gone in no time. Personally I prefer it when a house is run down with crap decor so I can knock the price down when it doesnt sell!

Edit - forgot to say that dont paint the ceilings, skirting and doors etc unless they are really bad. You could paint the walls with a mop and no one would question the quality.

 

[Russinating]

To add to the above, I'd say it totally depends on the market where you are and the cost/time of doing such works as well.

The market where we are is prime first-time buyer territory in an up-and-coming area (though it's been that for 5+ years) with high growth. Basically there's actually quite a lot of buyers looking for doer-uppers, and you'd be surprised at the very minimal (really) price difference between somewhere that's a complete and utter state and somewhere that's pristine. You'd probably be better doing no work at all here.

If your local market is all about selling to families on the other hand...

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Paint costs literally nothing unless you are that special guy in GD who spends £100 on a tin because brand name.

When selling house for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Painting should be done IMO to make it look brand new. Choose neutral colours, grays, whites, creams, etc.

Again pressure washing outside is a must too to get rid of moss and other grime.

Clean carpets with a vet vacuum.

All of the above is labour intensive not cost intensive. So IMO it should be done regardless.

Imagine losing a sale or a price war because you couldn't be bothered to spend £200 on paint and brushes and some weedkiller. And then losing out on a potential say 5% more for the property.

Paint is a great masker too of neglect and issues or previous problems which have been resolved.

 

[glenimp617]

We're selling ours as soon as we've decorated. It needs a bit more than a lick of paint though being a 2008 newbuild (everything falling apart)

We're redoing the en-suites, bathrooms, new carpets and paint....then up for sale. No chance we'd find a buyer in it's current state

The only paint I'd ever use is dulux trade diamond matt (brilliant white as it's half the price of the others). Even though we're selling, I'm still using it. B&Q cheapest, even better if you can get perkbox discount.

 

[Temujin]

Thanks for the insight all, seems like i'll be spending my upcoming annual leave doing painting and decorating for the most part! We've chosen mostly neutral/very light colours but not all the same colour so hopefully that won't impact too much.

Since the house isn't big, and we both have a lot of stuff I think when it's up for sale it may be worth getting some storage to keep some stuff as there's an awful lot of clutter which again I don't think is too problematic but doesn't convey the space of the house well!

Best I make a list of all the things I think require attention so I have something to work through!

 

[Mark M]

Yeah, 100% declutter also. You bascially want an empty room, bright pillows or throw, rug if carpets are crap, little to no furtniture and one shelf with a Jo Malone candle on it! Maybe one of them big jars with fairy lights in it and some of them random free standing letters too on a window sill.

 

[Semple]

We're redoing the en-suites, bathrooms, new carpets and paint....then up for sale.

I think i recall reading on here a while back about someone who'd refitted their house with new carpets to spruce it up ready for a sale, and they had driven past the house a week after the new owners had moved in and had ripped out all the new carpets that had recently been laid.

@OP as others have said, it really depends on whether there is an active market where you live, if there is, then people will look past obvious decoration/outdated issues.

Have you had a look on rightmove at your local area to see what similar houses are selling for, and how long they're typically on the market before being sold?

You really don't want to be spending thousands on sprucing the property up, if it's not likely to be fetching your asking price or giving you any ROI on material costs. Also bare in mind my point above, you could spend hundreds on new carpets, and the new owners not liking the colour and ripping them all out.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

To add to the above, I'd say it totally depends on the market where you are and the cost/time of doing such works as well.

The market where we are is prime first-time buyer territory in an up-and-coming area (though it's been that for 5+ years) with high growth. Basically there's actually quite a lot of buyers looking for doer-uppers, and you'd be surprised at the very minimal (really) price difference between somewhere that's a complete and utter state and somewhere that's pristine. You'd probably be better doing no work at all here.

If your local market is all about selling to families on the other hand...

that's because first time buyers don't have a clue for the majority of them and get carried away with help to buy, etc.

it's also to do with lack of any real regulation, qualifications within the valuation sector. for example in my estate i have seen the exact same house as mine being put up for -£5K less than what i paid 3 years ago and for £30K more than what i paid 3 years ago. the only difference between them was a conservatory which looked to be falling apart and extremely filthy.

in fact the location of the one asking £30K was on a tight corner with little space in front of the house. so realistically only parking for 1 car. i can get 4 on my driveway. my kitchen / dining has also had a wall removed and made open plan. i also have a fully landscaped back garden with a lower level decking and patio area and risen stone beds with grass. i also have 2 outdoor taps, outdoor electrical sockets and the interior of the home looks great with a lot of wood.

so i think my home was underpriced when i bought it. i also think these new ones popping up are overpriced as they are missing a lot of things i have (open plan), big driveway, fully landscaped back garden.

however they are all being priced higher for the exact same size and style of building minus the open plan kitchen on mine.

my area is popular with first time buyers. so i reckon the ones being priced the same as mine are being sold on the fact it's what i paid even though they would require £20K+ to be specced like mine or never can be due to size restrictions on their plots.

i know someone who just bought a much smaller house and it's a semi with no garage a few doors down for £25K less than what i paid. so i reckon my home must have went up in value. however people will look at some of the similar ones and not take the extra's into account. or people when they then value the next house thereafter reckon it's worth the same because mine sold for that amount yet refuse to look at the fact the extras involved.

it was the same process when i was buying. i looked at a house asking for x amount and the house 2 doors down beside it had sold for around that price but it's garden was 2 times the size and they had a massive conservatory. so there was no way this one was worth the same when only 4 months had passed in time. so i made a lower offer which was rejected. some people don't value them realistically and ignorant people end up buying them.

 

[glenimp617]

I think i recall reading on here a while back about someone who'd refitted their house with new carpets to spruce it up ready for a sale, and they had driven past the house a week after the new owners had moved in and had ripped out all the new carpets that had recently been laid.

There's always that risk, but ours are 11yr old cream ones (with two young kids) tried borrowing a friends vac carpet cleaner which was rubbish.

 

[Haze]

Yeah, good to go basic colours, and try and make the rooms looks as spacious as possible

 

[rhysduck]

I think i recall reading on here a while back about someone who'd refitted their house with new carpets to spruce it up ready for a sale, and they had driven past the house a week after the new owners had moved in and had ripped out all the new carpets that had recently been laid.

This.

Absolutely no point in doing anything, paint, new flooring, changing fixtures and fittings etc. Zero point. Don't bother doing any of it, it'll be a waste of your time.. By all means if there's anything major, like massive holes in the walls, then best to fix them.

Empty the house, quick hoover over when all the rooms are clear. Don't leave it cluttered and dirty. That's all you need to "worry" about.

I can guarantee the new owners will repaint, and probably refloor (unless the flooring is ok).

If they can't see past the fixtures and fittings and general decor then that's their issue in my mind. As long as you've kept on top of the decor (so painted when painting was needed) then you've done all you should do.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I think i recall reading on here a while back about someone who'd refitted their house with new carpets to spruce it up ready for a sale, and they had driven past the house a week after the new owners had moved in and had ripped out all the new carpets that had recently been laid.

@OP as others have said, it really depends on whether there is an active market where you live, if there is, then people will look past obvious decoration/outdated issues.

Have you had a look on rightmove at your local area to see what similar houses are selling for, and how long they're typically on the market before being sold?

You really don't want to be spending thousands on sprucing the property up, if it's not likely to be fetching your asking price or giving you any ROI on material costs. Also bare in mind my point above, you could spend hundreds on new carpets, and the new owners not liking the colour and ripping them all out.

all he needs to do is go with a neutral colour or simply wash his current carpets. light gray carpets for example.

if his current carpets are a state then i'd say replace. if they are okay looking then a shampoo clean will be enough.

again i know someone in the trade and he done 2 bedrooms, hallways and stairs (the only places I have carpet) for buttons. think it was £350 for the carpets and fitting. he re-used the existing underlay as he had checked it on the first visit to choose carpets and said it was fine.

you have to weigh up what might put someone off. ideally you want more people fighting over your property. in my case £350 on a home selling for hundreds of thousands is buttons to outlay. my carpets will last forever too. no shoes allowed past my door. slippers / sandals (indoor use only) downstairs and socks / barefoot upstairs.

so when i come to sell i won't need to buy new carpets. a clean will be enough.

 

[Temujin]

For sure, it's about achieving what the house is actually worth without providing them means to knock down the asking price (within reason). Most houses here seem to sell rather quick, it's outside the city but on a main road into the city, close to school etc, and we are the only one in the culdesac to have a double parking space, but unluckily no garage; swings and roundabouts.

Much food for thought here, thanks again!

 

[b0rn2sk8]

A well presented house will help regardless but going any further than that will depend on whats going in in your local market at the price points you will be competing in. If there is a lack of property you could probably get away with doing nothing, the main issue with that is the market is a bit flat in most places at the moment. You only need to be better than other properties of the same type at that price point, not the best the property can be. Most people buy off the right move floor plan rather than anything else these days. Decor can be changed really easily as most people have already said.

If you have pained in the last 5 years the chances are you don't need to again but if rooms have bob the builder wallpaper then its best to get rid of that. People don't tend to look that closely, you can get away with minor issues.

It's unlikely that you will get your money back by changing any major fixtures like kitchens and bathrooms unless they are in really poor condition (i.e. tiles coming off the walls). It also depends on where your property is pitched in the market, if its a large 4 bed detached home you'll spot a cheap B&Q kitchen or bathroom a mile away and people will rightly bid you down on it anyway. You might as well just leave your 80's kitchen in place. Same goes for carpets, there is no point in putting down cheap carpet unless the current ones are completely shot. People will notice things like that, want to replace it and bid accordingly.

Tidy up - Yes * 1000!
Clean - yes, including any pet/smoke smells
De-clutter - yes
Paint - maybe, depends on current condition or Marmite decor
Replace broken/fixtures in poor repair - yes
Replace fixtures that are old but in fine condition - nope

 

[heeeed]

I would be in the camp of don’t do a lot tbh, unless obviously broken stuff, marmite decor or fixed stuff that you never made good after etc. I would however ask my estate agent their opinion. They know who you’re selling to and if there are issues to fix

I would do a massive spring clean. When you do sell and get ready to move you will want to clear out all sorts of crap, because you don’t want to pay someone to move your crap to a new place. Do it now and not only is it done, but you will have decluttered or made room in your storage to put your decluttering into

 

[Steampunk]

We've just done this to a tired house in a now gentrified inner London area. Slapped some paint, got new carpets and flooring throughout. Retiled the kitchen and bathroom, new worktop, painted the kitchen cupboards, new toilet and shower. Some furniture and pictures/mirrors were left in place as "dressing" to show people what the place could look like. Fix anything too broken, and have a big clean up. Stick with light and neutral colours, and not too many of them. It will make the place seem brighter, without any definite style/taste that a potential buyer might not like. Stay away from purple feature walls or anything too wacky.

There's a couple of advantages to doing this. First, it made the house sell at a higher price. Secondly, if you put a tired house on the market at a lower price, and wait for someone who is willing to do all that work to tidy it up, you end up cutting the number of potential buyers down. A lot of buyers want something tidy they can just move into and live with until they have the time and money to do the decorating themselves. By presenting a renovated house, you increase the number of interested buyers. Show something messy, and a lot of people will just turn their noses up and not see the potential of a place with a bit of painting.

The money spent we got back five times over by the increase in house price, along with a faster sale. So if you can afford to spend money, you can make money, and save yourselves some time.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

We've just done this to a tired house in a now gentrified inner London area. Slapped some paint, got new carpets and flooring throughout. Retiled the kitchen and bathroom, new worktop, painted the kitchen cupboards, new toilet and shower. Some furniture and pictures/mirrors were left in place as "dressing" to show people what the place could look like. Fix anything too broken, and have a big clean up. Stick with light and neutral colours, and not too many of them. It will make the place seem brighter, without any definite style/taste that a potential buyer might not like. Stay away from purple feature walls or anything too wacky.

There's a couple of advantages to doing this. First, it made the house sell at a higher price. Secondly, if you put a tired house on the market at a lower price, and wait for someone who is willing to do all that work to tidy it up, you end up cutting the number of potential buyers down. A lot of buyers want something tidy they can just move into and live with until they have the time and money to do the decorating themselves. By presenting a renovated house, you increase the number of interested buyers. Show something messy, and a lot of people will just turn their noses up and not see the potential of a place with a bit of painting.

The money spent we got back five times over by the increase in house price, along with a faster sale. So if you can afford to spend money, you can make money, and save yourselves some time.

I agree.

Not everyone has the time or money to fully redecorate.

However I'd just be focusing on the main parts and spending a max of £500 on painting and cleaning supplies.

Bathrooms and kitchens I'd leave well alone because of personal taste. Paint the walls clean the silicone and grout, etc. Just cleaning up an old tired kitchen and bathroom can be enough.

A well presented home will sell for more and have more people inerested in it.

If you are going to buy a car and see it has cheap tyres you know it will have been serviced on the cheap. Someone spending £500 on tyres as opposed to £150 for a full set will show its likely they will have looked after it properly.

Same for a house. My neighbours house for example, decking rotten, never painted any fences on their side so rotting also, has had no cover on their leccy box for 3 years, no cover on their wheely bin for 3 years.

Telltale signs that they will not have spent a penny unless they absolutely had to. I wouldn't touch that house unless well under priced.

Likely some ignorant first time buyer will end up in it then realise it is a hole after getting accustomed to it.

 

[HangTime]

I think i recall reading on here a while back about someone who'd refitted their house with new carpets to spruce it up ready for a sale, and they had driven past the house a week after the new owners had moved in and had ripped out all the new carpets that had recently been laid

Might still have been money well spent though, as potentially if the flooring was a complete cesspit it might have dissuaded the buyers from paying what they did, even if they weren't fans of the carpets. That sort of subconscious feeling about a place. Could have helped with valuations and drumming up more market competition too.
Our neighbours ripped out a decent fairly new kitchen soon after moving in, but they paid something approaching top dollar for the house (near to the peak for that style of house on this estate), so it still might have helped.

To be honest the main reason we still live in the house we do is because about 3 years ago we decided to move house but after six months had made barely any headroom in prepping it for sale (I had a thread on the subject but basically work plus mammoth commute plus toddler plus being a bit lazy at weekends meant I was basically just treading water with the few hours I could put into it). I think if we reignite the possibility of moving I'll just pay for outside help to come in to help with odd jobs, decorating etc (I got as far as buying paint for the front door but worried about mucking it up as we are terrible at DIY). We've now added a baby to the family so making any traction would probably be even harder.

I's easy to dismiss prepping for sale when you look at people living in pristine houses but the amount of clutter we have is crazy (every room that's not a bathroom has hundreds or thousands of items in it) plus stained/grubby carpets etc. I reckon on my list of essential things to do before marketing our house would be:

• Replace several of our carpets, at a minimum the ones with stains, and the ones in the bathrooms (people generally don't expect carpet in rooms with toilets these days)
• Get front door painted to give a bit more curb appeal
• Tidy up gardens (luckily I have a relative on hand to help with this sort of thing)
• Get someone in for a deep clean at least in kitchen / master bathroom
• Massive de-cluttering exercise (I think we need to remove about 80% of our belongings to achieve what some would describe as 'hmm, bit cluttered')
• Consider living room furniture placement/removal as we have quite a big L shaped room but it feels a lot smaller than it used to due to large items we've added (corner sofa, oversized armchair, big display cabinet, 65" TV etc)
• Clean windows
• Any obvious remedial work like toilet roll holder fittings hanging off the walls, broken blind fitting etc

No intention of new kitchen/bathroom as they look OK IMO when clean. Realistically I'd probably just use the garage to house a mountain of clutter even though it would look more impressive if you could actually walk inside it.

 

[sovietspybob]

When we sold our old bungalow we repainted all the rooms and re-papered the bedrooms and i did replace the carpet in both bedrooms with a cheap neutral carpet as the ones in there were 30+ years old. You can get really cheap carpet, i got some that didn't need underlay and i think it was about £100 per room fitted, the new owner probably threw it away but it made it look WAY better and smell fresh and new so well worth it in my book to get a good impression of the house. But you do have to draw the line, i sugar soaped the doors and skirtings as they would have ideally been painted but i wasn't going to spend the time and money getting them done.