Refurbish or not before selling?

meerkat2007

I apologise in advance if this is a really stupid question, but at some point in the future, I'm planning to put my house on the market, and I wondered whether it would be better to refurbish the bathroom before I put it on the market, or leave it as it is, so any new owner could come in and rip it out without any second thoughts.

To put it into context, the whole house needs modernising, but since my long-term plan is to get myself moved into a bungalow before I retire (in about 16/17 years' time), I'm in a quandary as to whether it's more cost-effective to do the bathroom or not: ie, if I spend x amount on doing up the bathroom (it really is a biohazard!), will x amount be reflected in what I could expect by way of a sale price (would i get my money back on the bathroom or not?), or is it better to leave it as it is, with a correspondingly lower sale price?

I've never bought or sold property before (I inherited the house from a relative), so I would very much appreciate any thoughts on the matter. I don't know if this would have any bearing on the matter, but the house is a 2-bedroom semi, and in the local area, similar houses can go from about £95k - £120k, depending on the standard of decor etc.

Thank you in advance.

The_Blue_Hatter

You could get the room done professionally for 2-3k for a basic but decent job. As a former estate agent I would say definitely do it because it will reflect in the price and it will make the house easier to sell. Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses imo.

meerkat2007

Thanks, The Blue Hatter - that was about what I was thinking in terms of a price for getting someone in to do the work, and if I'm honest, I wouldn't mind benefitting from a new bathroom until I do move on!

The kitchen also needs doing, but would need building work including an RSJ, I think (well, it would if I was going to stay and have the work done, as the floor plan is rather awkward), so from my point of view, that would make it just too expensive. Also, it seems to me that you spend more time in the kitchen than the bathroom, so speaking for myself, I would be more keen to have a kitchen done to my taste, rather than the previous owner's taste.

Thanks again!

brit1234

In a falling market you will be unlikely to recoup the bathroom costs in the sale price. It is simply not cost effective. Just give the place a good clean and declutter.

meerkat2007

Thanks, Brit1234. The house won't be going on the market for a while yet, as I have other things to sort out first. I do appreciate your comment, though, for when I do - I can see how the market is going at the time, and act accordingly.

Dave101t

even if you spent the money, the new buyers would only look at it and say 'can i have £x off the price to re-do that room?'

best to leave it.

jimjames

The_Blue_Hatter wrote: »

You could get the room done professionally for 2-3k for a basic but decent job. As a former estate agent I would say definitely do it because it will reflect in the price and it will make the house easier to sell. Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses imo.

Definitely agree with this. A bad bathroom will put buyers off unless they are looking to do lots of work. Good bathroom will sell a house.

One we looked at had 1970s yellow bathroom suite, could have been fixed for a few thousand but they had lost a lot of buyers as a result. Agent was getting quotes to have new suite fitted and advising them that it would make difference to selling.

meerkat2007

Thanks for all your replies. They echo the quandary I've been in for a while, that I can either:

a) do it up and it will either help to sell the house more easily, or equally, make it less attractive as potential buyers might prefer to do it their own way

or

b) leave it, possibly make it more difficult to sell, but still be attractive to potential buyers as they can rip it out without a second thought.

Further, thinking about it, if I didn't do it up, I could then save that cash for doing up the bathroom at the new place.

I used to be indecisive - now, I'm not so sure! :eek:

Thanks again, everyone.

jimjames

If it is done in white/neutral colours then it is unlikely to put people off. If it is as bad as you indicate then it will make a sale more difficult. I would guess you would more than recoup any investment in the bathroom. Out of the houses we looked at all the ones with modern kitchens and bathrooms sold within weeks of going on market and the one we bought was sold before photos or details were produced. The same property without those just weren't selling even though they were cheaper.

meerkat2007

Jimjames, a white suite and neutral colours would be what I would go for, if I was having it done. The way it looks now is truly appalling. It used to be a bedroom, but back in the 80s it was converted to a bathroom, and it looks like the budget for the job ran out half way through the work.

Yes, it really is bad, and in its current state, I'm sure it would only appeal to someone looking for a property where they could gut the whole house and do a complete refurbishment.

I can see both sides of the argument, for and against having it done up. When I'm in a position to save to have the work done, I could easily have enough saved up in 6 months, maybe less. If it helped to sell the house sooner rather than later, that would only be a good thing, and until it sold, I'd at least have the use of a nice new bathroom.

I'll only be making the final decision when I have the funds for the job; until then, it's extremely useful to have the pros and cons laid out, especially since the decision is mine alone, so no one around to discuss it with!

skellysgirl

Personally i would leave it,
You are unlikely to get a return on it.
The buyer may have different taste to yourself.
If it was previously a bedroom, that means the houses natural layout Has been altered, they may wish to either revert or change the layout.

I would just reduce to reflect the work and state just that.