Increasing value of house before selling

TractorGirl59

Hello

We are hoping to sell our 3 bedroom house built in 2009. (we are in Scotland if this is relevant). Although it hasn't been up very long, some of it is a bit 'lived in' as we have two small children.

There are a few decorative things that we are planning to do hoping to increase the value before survey and to get the highest possible offers. I would really appreciate any advice on whether we should bother with some of these. Also, my husband doesn't want to paint in magnolia or too neutral as he is concerned a surveyor will think it is 'undecorated'. Is this a valid concern?

Here are works we intend to do:
1. Replace cracked bath panel and reseal round bath
2. Paint master bedroom (currently as it was when we moved in)
3. Touch up skirting boards where they are scraped
4. Clean gutters and roof over porch
5. Properly clean outside of windows and front door
6. Touch up paint throughout
7. Get rid of huge amounts of clutter

Here's what we don't plan to do:
1. Paint fence in back garden. Lots of neighbours haven't, it's a big, time consuming job.
2. Touch up paint in smallest bedroom. We can't get paint that matches and it would be a pretty big job to redo the whole room because of some scrapes on one wall

We have never sold a house before so I have no idea what would be a good idea and what wouldn't. Any advice would be really appreciated.

Yorkie1

Your thoughts seem reasonable. I would probably consider doing the smallest bedroom too, as if you've tidied up the rest of the house it will probably show up more - but if this is the only room which needs doing then hopefully most buyers can look beyond that.

Your proposed work is unlikely to affect the value before survey much, but they might well affect the level of offers you receive (i.e. how much work prospective buyers think they will have to do).

What sort of d!cor do you have at the moment? I disagree with your husband's views about magnolia - neutral colours of some sort are usually suggested as being best, as they are light (airy) and provide a blank canvas for prospective buyers to visualise their own preferences on.

theartfullodger

Ask 3 separate estate agents round:

Ask them for valuation, % terms and what they think worth doing or not.. Then decide...

As we cannot see the place it is difficult to comment. IMHO painting in light colours & decluttering make places look cleaner & bigger:

What EPC have you got?? Sometimes some simple measures like putting in log-energy lightbulbs might bump you up a level.


PS remove any "Old Firm" logos, mugs, scarves etc .... I bought a cheap repo that had not sold for 2+ years, I suspect as it had shed-loads of 'Gers decoration, wallpaper, the lot...

mrginge

None of that lot has any affect on value

TractorGirl59

Thanks so much for the speedy reply.

Our house is very light most of the time, so our colour choices so far haven't needed to be too neutral. We didn't decorate any of it with the intention of selling so far, but circumstances have changed.

Living room is two shades of grey, it's a light room though and doesn't look dingy at all. Hall, stairs and landing are green (Dulux jungle fever, but not the darkest one). Kitchen has one wall this colour but we will be painting the rest (hopefully neutral ish).

Bedroom 2 is Dulux fresh stem, bedroom 3 (the smallest one) is bright blue and yellow. If we are repainting we will need at least a couple of layers and to choose a much more neutral colour.

Downstairs is laminate, as is master bedroom. Stairs, landing and both smaller bedrooms are beige/pale brown carpets.

car0line123

Have a look on rightmove to see what similar properties look like.

Around here, there's a shortage of properties, so you really needn't bother doing much work. A fresh bright house would look better, but would have sold anyway.

If the competition is high on the other hand, it's totally worth creating a show room.

davidmcn

mrginge wrote: »

None of that lot has any affect on value

I agree, surveyors will be mainly looking for signs of disrepair, they're not going to pay attention to clutter, dirty windows or minor redecoration. But it will all help improve the marketability.

lincroft1710

Nothing that you have proposed will increase your home's value.

But it will make it more appealing to buyers as they will perceive that there is nothing immediate to be done. The smallest bedroom should be redecorated, if only the offending wall.

tomtontom

My home is a similar age and the development is still known as "the new houses". I would market it as such, think of what the showhome was like when you bought and go for that look.

The one room I would definitely paint is the smallest room. If it's a hassle for you to do then it will be a hassle for the new owners too - but they'll put a higher value on the hassle than you do.

jacko74

Whatever you do just try and be realistic, unlike the majority of deluded vendors when it comes to tarting up their houses prior to putting it on the market and they seem to operate on a factor of 10... i.e. whatever they've spent automatically increases the value of the house by 10x that amount.

lessonlearned

A house built in 2009 will be competing with new builds so will need to be in as near pristine condition as you can get so you will need to freshen it up, dealing with all scuffs, marks, bumps and dents.

If you have not put up wall paper then getting out the brushes and rollers is a doddle.....a fresh coat of paint can work wonders.

A good declutter and a deep clean.

A few new accessories in the latest fashionable colours and you should good to go.

Don't forget kerb appeal - a good tidy up in the garden, get rid of any weeds,, pressure wash the paths, plant a bit of autumn/winter colour, even if it's just a couple of pots by the front door.

Make sure the door bell works....wash down exterior Doors, window frames, meter box cupboards.

First impressions count.

None of the above is likely to increase a survey valuation but it will give you a competitive edge.

It's all about presentation.

I also agree with the low energy lightbulbs. It's a small outlay and it can improve your energy rating.