tarting your house up to sell

ceegee

I am looking to move in 2 or 3 years' time. Some areas of my house are distinctly shabby...kitchen, understairs, hall stairs landing in need of decorating. Other things too, such as exposed pipes around the boiler and some wiring, which though legal, would look better channelled in to the wall.These are basically the things which I am not competent to do. Outside is nice and tidy and sound. It is a good area.

I really don't know what to do for the best. These TV programmes go on about doing your house up to appeal to as many buyers as possible, but I don't know whether it is worth going to the expense and hassle of getting tradesmen in to do it. It would mean ploughing every spare penny into the house over the next few years and money is tight enough as it is!

Surely there are still people around who don't mind taking on a shabby house? Mightn't someone be glad of the opportunity to move into a "good" area at a slightly more affordable price? I have lots of equity (nearly £200k....been here for ever and I'm quite old! house rich and cash poor!) and I would be downsizing when I move. Retiring in about 15 years time (I'm 50). Mortgage has another 7 years to go.

I would be glad to hear of anybody's thoughts on this.....I've been going round and round in circles about it for months now. I feel that some fresh thoughts and/or experiences would be very helpful, so a huge "thank you" in advance to anyone who is kind enough to let me have their thoughts on this. :coffee: :beer:

JennyW_2

i'm sure there are plenty of people who would take on a project such as this however they would expect the price of the house to reflect this.

It can go both ways, you can either spend your money tarting up the areas you mentioned to get maximum value and interest, or alternatively not and value the price a little lower to attract someone who will see past these problematic areas.

clairehi

Hard one to call, especially as you are not looking to sell for 2-3 years, who knows what the market will be like then.

When you say "good" area, what do you mean. If there is genuinely very high demand (eg good school catchment) then buyers will have to be less picky.

Save your money for now, but nearer the time, get a few decent EAs round to "value" the house. ask them how £ it would add with the work completed. in tandem, get some quotes from tradesmen.

Also, you may find that getting the work done gets you a faster sale but will not necessarily make you any money.

Sumostar

Hi

From your description of the work that needs doing you don't need a tradesman but a good, old fashioned "handyman".

ask around your friends to see if they have had any work done, or pop down to your local DIY shop / ironmongers / timber merchants (not the B&Q / Focus outfits). Very often they allow their customers to put up business cards.

Poppy9

Do what you can now so you are living in a nice house for the next couple of years. Jobs that you need to get someone in for put away money so that when you come to sell you have a little nest egg to pay for the work. If you join a regular saver you can get a good rate of interest and save just £25 per month. That over a year is £300 over 3 years £900. Should be enough to get most jobs done. You will get this back when you come to sell. Buyers see work and work out a rough cost and double it. If your house appears ready to move into with no work required buyers will more likely give asking price offers.

Tahiti

There are loads of people around who like projects still. You are talking a fairly long timescale before the house is marketed though, and tastes and opinions can change.

Personally, I'd see what properties come onto the market that are comparable, and the condition they are in before spending a fortune doing a place up.

If I was in your position and looking to sell now, I would personally give everything a lick of light coloured paint if it's dark or dated as that will make the rooms look bigger and ensure that every surface looks clean. I'd also look to have the bathroom changed to a white suite if it is currently coloured.

I'm not sure I'd spend a fortune on it unless there is a huge price differential between a dated and a modern home though (unless of course you plan to have a couple of years use of anything in particular).

lessonlearned

I've been selling houses for 15 years now and I've noticed a real change in buyer's attitudes to how a property is presented. Buyers have become a very fussy lot!!!

My advice is to be honest with yourself about the condition of your property.
Pretend you are a buyer seeing it for the first time. How does it really look?

If you house requires a major refurbishment/modernisation programme and you really can't face it, then by all means leave it alone. However, you must be prepared to take a real hit on your selling price.

A private buyer will do a rough calculation of how much they think the work will cost and then add a large chunk on top for the "hassle factor". If they are professional developers or builders they will drive a very hard bargain, because they will want to make a good profit when they resell the property.

If you house is generally structurally sound but a little "tired" then spend the money and bring it up to scratch - otherwise you are simply throwing money away. It needn't be expensive and if you've got two to three years or so you can do much of the work yourself and save money.

It is essential that you tackle any outstanding repairs, unfinished DIY tasks etc. They will only show up on the survey. A bad survey could mean that your buyer will either pull out or reduce their offer.

If any repairs involve gas, electrics or plumbing get a professional. These works no longer fall within the remit of the DIYer. With the new Home Buyers Packs you will have to provide certificates and guarantees on this type of work in order to comply with new regulations.

The decorating you could probably tackle yourself and/or get a "handyman" to help you with the more difficult jobs.

Pipes always look better boxed in, unboxed they are a bit of an eyesore (and a major dust trap).

The decorating should be simple, clean and fresh. A fresh coat of paint works miracles. Walls are quick and easy to emulsion - you can paint over existing wallpaper, rather than stripping it all back.

For the rest a thorough spring clean and declutter. And if you have a nice garden make the most of it.

Don't forget buying and selling houses costs money in fees and expenses. Even if you are downsizing and releasing capital, you still need to get the best selling price possible to help offset some of your costs.

My professional advice is this - don't throw money away by doing nothing and hoping for the best. Get the work done and get the highest selling price you can so that you have extra money for your retirement.

annie-c

I drove a hard bargain for my 'tired looking' house, and would gladly do so again in a few years if I have the opportunity to up-size.

People will buy houses in any condition, it's just up to you whether you are happy to let the selling price reflect the work that needs to be done (plus a bit more for hassle factor, as the earlier poster said)

Personally, my plan is to upgrade to a house like yours later on, when I'm in a better financial position. At the moment I'm in a reasonable area, but I'd like to live in a 'good' area, and my ideal would be to find, in a few years, a house in a lovely area that someone has maybe let go a bit over the years, and in which I can be sure I'll be able to add value by putting in some hard work.

Personally, when looking at houses, I was impressed by either the ones that had had lots of genuine work done to them, eg restored fireplaces, new windows, new boilers and GCH etc, or by ones like the one I settled for- very dilapidated and in need of a complete overhaul. I was really suspicious though of ones that looked like Ann Maurice, the House Doctor, had just been into them- eg fresh paint and new cheap carpet, in what was clearly an old damp bathroom or hallway... It's just a personal opinion, but I had seen so many TV shows where people were taught to cover-up bad houses 'cleverly' that I was always worried by that 'type'... so if you decide to just spruce up, then do it in plenty of time for the paint smell to evaporate!!!!

sandydog_2

I'm selling my house now. It's just gone on the market, so too early for viewings yet. I would say my house looks 'unfinished', and I have got to the point where I really cannot be dealing with doing anything to it now. The house is structurally sound (subject to survey ), and has a good layout.

I've tried to get builders out, to no avail, and just cannot be motivated to spend any more money on the house. I see it that if I was staying here, then I would have decorated, but not if we're going. In 6 months time I may be changing my mind, when it won't sell.

3 bed terraced houses in my street go for around £122k. The EA has put my 2 bed up for £114,950, assuming that I'll be knocked down before and possibly after the survey.

If a developer wants to put in an offer for this house, I'm sure I'll be looking at under £100k, so my only hope is a landlord or FTB.

Personally, I have looked at houses that need either finishing or redecorating, and they are not for me. But I do know that there are people who will redecorate whatever the condition.

aloiseb

I'm in a similar position - i.e. having to decide whether there's much point in giving a lick of paint / varnish to window frames, when it's relatively plain that the whole house needs replacement windows anyway? ....do indelible dents on the carpet matter when the carpet is about 10 years out of date and ought to be laminate flooring?......I suppose if we get any offers, we can draw our own conclusions!

If we don't get any, it'll be me reaching for the Linda Barker (or wholever the latest ghastly guru-ess is) instant makeover manual in W H Smith's.

I'm rapidly developing a fatalistic attitude though - if they like where the house is, they'll buy it, if they don't like it , they won't.

sandydog_2

I feel the same, aloiseb. Most of the house needs updating, and I could spend ages going round and round painting, etc. What's the point when the flooring needs updating everywhere?

I'm going to do the same and wait for some feedback on viewings.