What to do to house before sale?

Pepperoni

If anything (other than cleaning)?

Our house hasn't really been touched for a while - paint could do with a freshening up in places, and our garden is a state. Is it worth fixing or not?

Bonfire_Bride

Definitelty. It will make a massive difference.

tom9980

Both are very cheap to sort out if you do it yourself, so yes I would paint the walls and mow the grass.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Touch up scuffs and scratches on the paintwork if you don't want to completely repaint.

Declutter (helpful when you're moving anyway) and clean the place thoroughly. You don't want grubbiness or fusty smells to make people think of damp.

If you're not into gardening it may be worth getting someone in to properly clear it. An appealing garden with clear purpose (safe child's play area, eating out, beds for growing) is a selling point.

AnotherJoe

Massive declutter, you'll have to do that when you move anyway so get it done now. Sort the garden.

marleyboy

A tidy house, inside and out is indicative of a well looked after home. It will add much more value to the property.

Imagine selling a car without a wash and valet, nor with the tyres inflated properly. A buyer might question just how bad the engine is.

Bonfire_Bride

Please dont underestimate the power of flowers, fresh fruit, a bottle of champagne in the kitchen and music on quietly in the background. magic is a good channel...stay away frmo HIP HOP, RAVE or even classical music. We don't want overkill.


You may query why it took so long for me to sell our house. It would have sold a hundred times over if it wasn't next to a pub. (a quiet one at that but still people were concerned)


Also if you have pets...stash away their beds, tidy away toys, get rid of laundry baskets. Only for viewings of course.


Good Luck

sheff6107

our garden is a state. Is it worth fixing or not?

Is the Pope Catholic?

You sound like the kind of people who go on Phil Spencer's Secret Agent who can't figure out why their house won't sell.

Wassa123

1) Remove all your junk.
Makes it look more spacious and bigger.
You have to do it anyway before you move!

2) Clean it.

3) Do easy DIY jobs.
e.g. repaint badly scuffed walls, fix dripping taps, etc.

4) Stick some reed diffusers around the place.

Mossfarr

I would get a friend to come in and do a walk through as though they were a buyer and tell you honestly what they think. They will see things that you don't notice any more.
I will be marketing mine next year and as well as decluttering & decorating i'm getting all my paperwork in order - boiler service history, electrical safety cert, EPC, building approval certs for our extension etc etc. You will need it all when you get a buyer so its less stressfull if you sort it now.

NicNicP

We had no intentions of moving and had pulled up our decking and dug up half the plants ready to redo the garden (had already bought the flagstones in preparation). We also planned to decorate my sons bedroom in the near future so those parts of the house needed attention. Other than that the house was well presented and already tidy and decluttered. As we were selling to buy a particular house we put it on the market anyway and thought we'd do the jobs as soon as we could. Luckily for us we sold to our first viewer in 24 hours! I suppose it depends how much needs doing to the house.