What Home Improvments Increase House Value?

Gem_

Need some help: Can people give me their opinions as I really have no idea which house improvment jobs to do and which ones are not worth the money.

I have a 4 bed mid terrace valued at somewhere between £70,000 and £85,000 depending on the estate agent.

The house has a new (ish) bathroom and a kitchen that I have not finished tilling yet. The lino is very tired in the kitchen and the house does not have double glazing. Whole house could do with re-painting and needs a new carpet in the lounge.

What I am looking for is opinions on how much I should spend, and whether in your opinion putting in double glazing would be worth the money (quote of about £2,000).

I am so confused about this and dont want to be wasting money on things that people are not bothered about / wont increase the resale price .

Thanks so much for any advice

Gem

lynzpower

Well, it might not have double glazing, but does it need it? People usually only replace when the existing windows are knackered.

LIno & fitting shouldnt cost that much, we hada quote for our bathroom to be done inc fitting & vat for £45. However, Im going for the posher option of rubber flooring as its all white which we like, and thats for doing boats with the guy said, and will cost more like 75 with fitting &VAT.

A repaint again shouldnt cost too much, and tickling up with touching up paintwork door frames etc. Crikey where do you live to be able to get a 4 bed house for 70k :eek: you cant even get a garage round here for that!

Are you wanting to add value, ie get more than what the place is valued at currently? Or make your place more salable at the current price.

Astaroth

There are 2 things to consider - those things that will drive up the value of the property significantly (like a new kitchen) and those that wont signicantly directly effect the price but will make the sale happen a lot quicker (so effectively there is the saving on mortgage payments) like having a nicely setup garden.

Both are important but it comes down to your priorities

F_T_Buyer

Here's what the Nationwide says:

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/mediacentre/PDF/house_price_special270506.pdf

davef

Consider the following taken from a reader survey on findaproperty.com

What Buyers Want
The top ten most important things to buyers, according to the survey, were:

1 Parking / garage
2 Kitchen / dining space
3 Central heating
4 Garden
5 Double glazing
6 Size
7 Number of rooms
8 Enough living space
9 Original features
10 Ensuite bedroom

Consider how each area rates in your house. Perhaps its a case of spreading the spend to improve a few of the above items & maximise the 'appeal' to potential buyers. I would also add that most buyers prefer neutral colour schemes. What about curb appeal - would buyers be put off before even stepping into your property. Does it have adequate storage etc etc etc.

Also advise speaking to estate agents in the local area - they should know what people are after !!

Good luck.
Dave





Hope this helps.

Gem_

Thanks so much for the replies so far

I have gone down the neutral route with everything painted cream ish, and beige carpets. Have made an effort with the garden to give curve appeal (though mostly because I like gardening). I always knew I was only going keep this house a couple of years so the decor is not too 'personal'.

The thing I would really like opinions on is budget. How much would you spend to sell quicker / for the best price? I asked three estate agents about this but they all said "it is not our job to tell you how to present your house" !!! I was left wondering what they think their job is??? but that would be a whole other thread.

Thanks. Keep the thoughts coming

Gem

lynzpower

Why dont you get some mates round then and get them to criticise your house? Especially those who like watching a bit of Kirsty & phil etc they know what to be looking for.

At the end of the day, if you say to the EA you want constructive feedback about your property, and they refuse, personally, I wouldntgo with them if they are not able to manage doing the basics like that. No offence to any EAs on here, but some of them are fairly spineless and like most salesmen, give you exactly what they think you want to hear. tell them that from me lol

flossy_splodge

Gem_ wrote:

Thanks so much for the replies so far

I have gone down the neutral route with everything painted cream ish, and beige carpets. Have made an effort with the garden to give curve appeal (though mostly because I like gardening). I always knew I was only going keep this house a couple of years so the decor is not too 'personal'.

The thing I would really like opinions on is budget. How much would you spend to sell quicker / for the best price? I asked three estate agents about this but they all said "it is not our job to tell you how to present your house" !!! I was left wondering what they think their job is??? but that would be a whole other thread.

Thanks. Keep the thoughts coming

Gem

I assume you mean KERB appeal - you know appeal to someone driving by or parked looking from the kerbside!!!:rotfl:
Kitchens and bathrooms are apparently the two big value add ons but I guess it depends what the current state of these rooms is ie are they old and tired or just not the most modern. Seems to be you can refit a kitchen of about 8 ft square for about £1000 excluding appliances and a new bathroom suite costs about £300 for a perfectly acceptable modern white suite. Fitting should only cost about another £150 to £200 depending on where you live or if you can do it yourself. So for a couple of thousand you may well add on about £5000 in value. VERY ROUGH GUIDE!! Obviously depends on what your area will hold in terms of prices. Could price yourself out of the market. Good luck:T

Gem_

flossy_splodge - Yes I did indeed mean kerb appeal - my ability to think of the right word has deserted me this evening.

My kitchen is new (apart from the flooring) and the bathroom suite is about 3 years old, not the most trendy though - the deaded 'shell' design from B&Q. But I did tile and paint it last year so that is modern at least.

So how much did you guys spend smartening up your houses before a sale? Or were you all organised enough to be living in perfect bliss before the sale?

G

Doozergirl

lynzpower wrote:

LIno & fitting shouldnt cost that much, we hada quote for our bathroom to be done inc fitting & vat for £45. However, Im going for the posher option of rubber flooring as its all white which we like, and thats for doing boats with the guy said, and will cost more like 75 with fitting &VAT.

Lynzpower, have you got any links to the stuff you're using please? I think I know what I want, but I can't find it anywhere.

:A

Jorgan_2

Trying to add value to a property by doing home improvements really depends on what condition the existing item that is going to be improved is in. Changing a kitchen or kitchen isn't necessarily going to add any value to a property, a lot of people don't even get their money back.

OP, you say you have terraced property, is it a Victorian/Edwardian property with sash windows? If so, do you really want to change them to UPVC double glazed items? Original features like these can be worth more to a buyer, UPVC windows may actually lower the value of the property.

As for kerb appeal, depends what you have out the front of your property at the moment, is it a lawned area, paved area or other? If you are likely to be sellin to a FTB low/no maintenance may be what they are looking for, so something like a front area with gravel/chippings/stone with a few plant pots may appeal.