Fit new kitchen before selling?

Tigerlilley1980

Hi there. We've just sold our house and the kitchen has been in for 15 years and isn't very good. The advice from our Estate Agent was to just leave it as we could put something in that the buyer didn't like and change it anyway.

We were very lucky and sold the house in four weeks and got the price we wanted for the house. We're pleased we didn't do the work as we now have a little extra cash for the new house. Just make sure when the EA comes to take pics that there is no clutter and it's as clean and tidy as can be. Then have it the same for viewings.
x

TOBRUK

Same here Tigerlilley1980, I've just sold my house and the kitchen is over 15 years old. I just made sure it was clean and decluttered (as you say) although it's old it's functional! I only lost £2,500 from the asking price which I was pleased with.

The EA told me that she had been to a house where they had spent £20,000 on the kitchen and the people she took to see it said that they didn't like the kitchen and they would rip it out!

It is very rare that you will find a property to buy where there isn't at least one room you would want to change.

tyllwyd

The houses (don't look at flats so not so sure about them!) that seem to sell quickest around here are either run down so that people can do them up, or immaculate, so that people can move in and do nothing.

My inclination would be either you leave the kitchen as it is but price accordingly, or do up the entire flat - kitchen, bathrooms, carpets, paint etc - to a good standard. If you have a nice kitchen but the rest of the flat is a bit tired, you don't appeal to either type of buyer.

Personally, I'd agree with the posters who say make sure it is as clean as you can get it, but don't do anything more than that.

Marvel1

poppysarah wrote: »

No kitchen = no mortgage.

Leave as is. Be prepared for the price to be dropped if it's really gross - but get it decluttered and scrubbed clean and put some nice accessories out.
The EAs who give you valuations will suggest if it's that bad.

If it's usable then it's not a problem.

A new kitchen might just be a waste of your time and money. A quick sale is more likely to be dependent on price than a kitchen.

I have to disagree with this, including others who said it, as when my sister and her b/f bought a house 5 years ago there was "no kicthen", they got a mortgage just fine, when they had the keys they bought the cupboards, worktops etc.

Marvel1

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

If you rip everything out and don't replace it, your potential buyers won't be able to get a mortgage.

If you do replace it with the cheapest possible, then that might not help much.

Make sure it's clean and tidy, and the buyers can then choose what they want.

If you do install a new kitchen, make sure it's not too quirky - some people will hate it.

For example, this flat - they boast about the expensive new kitchen, but I think it's horrible - dodgy layout AND a really bright shiny red, which would do my head in every morning

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-property-for-sale/details/id/SPTLA464/

Is the living room in the same room as the kitchen? That has put me straight off.

Marvel1

TOBRUK wrote: »

Same here Tigerlilley1980, I've just sold my house and the kitchen is over 15 years old. I just made sure it was clean and decluttered (as you say) although it's old it's functional! I only lost £2,500 from the asking price which I was pleased with.

The EA told me that she had been to a house where they had spent £20,000 on the kitchen and the people she took to see it said that they didn't like the kitchen and they would rip it out!

It is very rare that you will find a property to buy where there isn't at least one room you would want to change.

My kitchen is the same, it's the same as it was when I had it 3 years ago. The sink is the light bown colour same as tap (very old) but it works, all I care about. As my signature says.

Matt1977

OP, if you decide to get a new kitchen then it would be worth considering a 'take away' one from a DIY outlet such as Wickes or Focus. Also, keep it plain and neutral with plain white wall tiles. A bit dull but white tiles are inoffensive to most people and are not easily changed if too personal/bold.

Otherwise, I agree that cleaning up the old kitchen units is the best option. Less hassle and the prospective vendor can then decide what to do with it on purchase.

GDB2222

la_farfallina wrote: »

I will give it a lick of paint and replace the worktops - they look really scuzzy because I used to clean them with bleach and didn't know that bleach wasn't good for worktops.

Replacing the worktops is rather difficult. It's hard to unscrew them and it's hard to get them out without disturbing the tiling. The replacements need to be exactly the same thickness (okay, that's not probably a big difficulty). The sink and hob need to be cut out, etc etc. You may find that you're looking at half the cost of fitting a new kitchen. If you can tart up the existing worktops or just leave them, I'd look at those options first.

You might look at getting something to cover the worst bits of the worktop, eg a stanless steel pan support, like this one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STAINLESS-WORKTOP-CHOPPING-BOARD--PAN-STAND_W0QQitemZ170487430074QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=194408282929&rvr_id=194408282929&cguid=46cab05412d0a0e204a17841ff5439bd



What are the existing worktops made of? Laminated? Wood?

GDB2222

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Spectacularly bad advice.

Particularly for an FTB flat, where buyers are unlikely to have wads of cash to buy a new kitchen.

Spectacularly bad advice IMHO. If there's a functional kitchen, most FTBs would rather have a smaller mortgage.

poppysarah

cjdavies wrote: »

I have to disagree with this, including others who said it, as when my sister and her b/f bought a house 5 years ago there was "no kicthen", they got a mortgage just fine, when they had the keys they bought the cupboards, worktops etc.

5 years ago was at an insane high point in lending when they would lend whether you had a pulse or not.