MOST PROBABLY selling soon - redo kitchen or not?

tapper_2

Hello, I'm a new poster so please be kind!

I want IDEALLY to sell my flat within the next 18 months to buy a home with my partner.

It is s 2 bedroomed flat that I bought for £90,000 in 2005 as a FTB. It was in need of complete redecoration and had blow air central heating (which soon broke). Similar flats in my block (in slightly better condition) have sold for between £114k in 2007 and £78k a few months ago.

I am realistic that I will most likely make a loss on what I bought it for or may be able to afford to sell/move for quite a while.

I have done the following:
New combi-boiler and central heating system with radiators
Redecorated living rooms and bedrooms
New carpet throughout
Repainted, regrouted & scrubbed up bathroom (white suite) and removed old airing cupboard to make it bigger

The only room I have not touched at all is the kitchen. It is clean and functional but very old. It has old fashioned tiles, some of which are cracked, mismatched wallpaper, scuffed plinths and dented floor tiles. It sticks out like a sore thumb against the rest of the flat

I had done nothing as I had always planned to rip the whole thing out and do it all. Now I know that my circumstances have changed I initially thought that I had better get it done soon (on a small budget £2k) and enjoy it for a while before I sell and that hopefully, the improvement will help with saleability, if not the price I can acheive for it.

I have been reading similar posts and the suggestion seems to be the opposite. Am I better to save the money for my next home? Any advice would be appreciated!

Many thanks

elliebobs

I personally would recommend doing up the kitchen. As a potential vendor the house/flat would have to be pretty spectacular in order for me to overlook the fact that the kitchen will need doing up as it's an absoute hassle redoing a kitchen whilst living in the property.
You can get some really cheap kitchens that still look ok. Just get the cheap carcasses and perhaps spend a bit more on the doors and taps. B and Q sell doors seperate to the units just make sure you get the measurements right although I think they are standard sizes. Wickes is also great for cheap tiles that look great when laid. If it's quite a small space then 2k will be more than enough. Other posters may have totally different views though!!!!

Basically it depends on how much you want to sell it for ultimately.

you could also ask your estate agent what they think.

Good luck with the selling though whatever you decide

david29dpo

Just changing the worktops, door fronts etc can work wonders.

wysiwyg78

We've just had the same dilema but couldn't afford to redo the kitchen. So instead we painted over the tiles withr white tile paint (it really is amazing stuff!) and put some tile transfers on thatr we got from Studio. It honestly looks like we've retiled it. We have also repainted the cupboard boards and put some new floor tiles down. We also had the option of replacing all the cupboard doors, which would have cost another £100 from Wickes. So all in all it's cost us less than £200!

Why don't you think about doing something similar? it is amazing what a coat of paint can do!

tootsmyboots

I was probably one of those posters you have read from yesterday with a similar kitchen issue. The EA has told me not to change the kitchen as I would not recoup the cost of doing it. And also our property has a small kitchen, so the cost to a new buyer would not be too bad and would allow them to do it to their own taste.

My other half is a joiner, so if the feedback suggests kitchen is a problem we may also decide to replace just the doors and handles and worktop, rather than the carcasses. That sounds like a good idea for you maybe. Depends how big your kitchen is. The tile painting idea sounds good too.

If the rest of the place is nicely done out, then why not price it accordingly to reflect that the kitchen needs doing? Remember, your idea of a stylish lovely kitchen may not match a buyers anyway and they might replace it even after what you do.

When we bought our place the kitchen was fab and recently done, but the bathroom was minging. This didnt put us off as I knew I wanted a nice modern bathroom putting in, with a shower bath and nice new tiles and floors anyway. If both the kitchen AND bathroon had been awful, I may have been put off. But as it was just one I was excited to do the bathroom to my own tastes! So now I have a lovely kitchen and bathroom in my own house.

I think from what I gather that kitchens and bathrooms are the main rooms people look at in terms of cost to improve, as bedrooms and lounges are quicker and simpler to redecorate. So if one is ok, I would be tempted to test the market as it is and see what your feedback says. Have you asked an EA what they think?

TMB

cattie

As somebody who was househunting last year I can only say that unless the price reflected the cost of having to redo the kitchen, I'd much prefer a house that was in move into condition & would be willing to pay extra for such a property.

It sounds as if you've got the rest of the place looking good & it would be sad for potential purchasers to be put off by feeling let down by the kitchen.

queenieplum

I am in the same boat as you - the only room in my flat which looks old is the kitchen, my EA told me not to bother to get it re-done as people will come in and re-change things they dont like anyway (put their own stamp on the place) - so I could pay out for new cupboards etc for them only to be replaced shortly afterwards. However, the EA said that if after any viewings the kitchen was the sticking point on all feedback then it could be negotiated off the price of the flat. Hope that helps.

DPX

I'm affraid it's the od aaddage. Kitchens and Bathrooms sell houses. I would spend the money and do the kitchen, it may the carcasses are ok and you just need to change the door s and worktops etc.. I am sure it will be money well spent. the renatakl market and first time market (which is probabaly who are aiming at) prefer little or no work to do.

Cliveski2009

If you are okay with doing DIY then why not see what you can do on a budget.
Kitchens and Bathrooms do sell houses.
I got an 18 month old top quality kitchen with Electrolux Oven and Gas Hob, Kitchen Sink and Mixer Tap for £600 on eBay and I'm sure it made the difference between our buyer choosing our flat over another.

mlz1413

Mismatched wallpaper is something really easy to change, either lining paper over and paint or just paint depending on what the texture of the original stuff is.

If the tiles can be painted I'd do that, if the cracks mean they look just as bad see if you can easily take them off the wall, ie not rip half the plaster off the wall with the tiles, and then put up white tiles. It's amazing how much difference these 2 cheap and easy to do things will change the kitchens appearence.

I would not change the kitchen unless you have the £2k to do it AND you will live there to use and enjoy it for at least a year. Just price the flat fairly and see what offers you get - if the kitchen is a deal breaker offer to allow it to be changed after exchange but before completion so the new people don't have to live in a mess.

tapper_2

Thanks so much everybody! Reading your posts has definately helped me

I called a couple of estate agents around after elliebobs post who both said that they could not guarantee that I would get back the money spent on redoing the whole kitchen. One of them said it was quirky but didn't say anything about redoing it until I brought it up.

Unfortunately, carpentry and plumbing is not my forte so a good chunk of the 2k would be labour if I do the whole thing.

I love the tile paint idea - the cracks are hairline on just 2 tiles but if I can cover the pattern (it's like little chicks pecking) that would make a difference. I've also got some white bathroom/kitchen paint left from the bathroom that I can put on the walls. That shouldn't cost very much and I'll see what it looks like after that. I might also see how much lino is.

I did not replace the suite or tiles in the bathroom but regrouted and repainted the walls has made it look a lot fresher so it would make sense to pay a similar amount of attention (not more) to the kitchen.

The buyer would still want to put a new kitchen in in time but maybe the initial impact wouldn't be as garrish. If I put it on the market and it didn't sell (with feedback about kitchen) then I would reconsider.

Thank you everybody. It's hard to make big decisions and you have all helped me to unmuddle my head!