putting house on the market

motherearth31

i want to put my house on the market and move to spain i need to do up a few rooms first i think mostly bathroom and kitchen as that is what i would look at if i was buying a house but do you think i need to paint the whole house ie paint work walls and stuff as dont really want to spend to much time and money on it for some one to come in and do it all again do you think i should put grass in the garden or leave it gravel,
any help would be great as i have never sold a house before

cuffie

Might be best to put this on the other board (house selling, buying etc). There were lots of similar posts on that board when I was buying/selling my house.

I wouldn't spend too much. Like you say, people will come in and change anyway. Do the kitchen and bathroom really need doing? A good clean house and fairly neutral colour scheme is the key really. I wouldn't bother with the grass....gravel is fine. Just keep it neat (kerb appeal is key). If you do need to do kitchen bathroom, keep it neutral and simple.

When we moved, we gave everything a clean. Put new lino in kitchen and that made it look a million times better. Put lino in downstairs toilet and bathroom (previously carpet.....yuk!), replaced sink and oven in kitchen and put away all the clutter. Our house sold within a week and we spent no more than £700 getting it into "ready to sell" condition. I have to drive past my old house every day taking the kids to school. Within 2 weeks the downstairs toilet, bathroom and en-suite were on the front lawn. The following week, all the carpets were in a skip. I'm glad we did what we did to get the house looking nice, but I am soooo glad we never replaced bathroom etc. There was nothing wrong with our old suites at all.

Good luck...I wouldn't mind moving to spain!! x

Becles

Give the paintwork a good clean. If it comes up sparkling and fresh looking, I would leave it. If it still looks tatty, a lick of paint will improve the appeal of your house.

If the colours are strong colours, you might be better replacing them with neutral colours that will appeal to everyone rather than just people who like strong colours.

If the gravel looks a bit boring, you could buy some tubs with plants in to add a bit of interest which would be easier than laying grass.