How much do we do before putting the house on the market?

GBR78

We are looking to get the house valued very soon with a view to putting it on the market if it holds enough equity. The question for me is - how far do we go before stopping and getting some valuations in?

The property is a 1930's detached which we have owned for around 8-9 years. Wehn we bought the place it was clean and tidy, but very dated. We have stripped all signs of textured/woodchip wallpaper from the downstairs, knocked through the galley kitchen into the dining room to create an open-plan area (still defined kitchen/dining room, but with more of a feel of space rather than being crammed in a 6ft wide room), obviously a new kitchen, stripped and redecorated 2 of the 3 bedrooms and decorated the bathroom. The main bedroom remains untouched by us at this stage but (apart from the woodchip ceiling) isn't offensive and is neutrally decorated. The bathroom suite is white and the tiling only dates back to shortly before we moved in, its just badly laid.

Outside, the back garden hasn't been our priority. Its servicable, its not over grown, it just needs tidying. We aren't keen gardeners but thats not to say its a mess. Lawn is OK, and we have a decking area, but the borders aren't up there with the Chelsea Flower Show. The front is all laid as a block paved drive.

How far do we take things before we look at valuations? At what point do we hit diminishing returns?

Rain_Shadow

Get a few EA's in and ask their opinion on what, if anything, would add further value?

Doozergirl

Rain_Shadow wrote: »

Get a few EA's in and ask their opinion on what, if anything, would add further value?

Nothing on the OP's list will 'add value'. Anything really horrid will detract from the value but anything the OP mentions is just about being saleable.

I would do everything that didn't cost much money to make it saleable. A really good deep clean and a clear out ready for moving, before the house even goes on the market.

The garden as nice as you can make it and any dodgy silicone or marked grout cleaned up in the bathrooms. Carpets cleaned, stuff like that. Lots of elbow grease.

No point turning it into a showhome

Tyler119

Is there a unique selling point to the property, such as area, school catchment, commuting time etc??

Have you looked online at what has sold in your postcode + 1/4 mile in the last 12 months? Previous sales pictures etc are normally listed on Rightmove and so will give you an idea of condition that has recently been sold.

Is the property likely to be purchased by first time buyer or is the price range suitable for a 2nd or 3rd time buyer? Sometimes a seasoned buyer is quite happy to carry out improvements etc themselves. First time buyers are not opposed to this, but if they are inexperienced, they on the whole like a property that needs very little if anything done to it.

GBR78

Thanks for the replies so far, its appreciated.

In respect to the last post, the house target market is (I would imagine) 2nd/3rd buyer level rather than FTB. It's a fairly large, 3 bed, detached 1930's house in a half decent area, so I would imagine it would be costed outside of the average FTB budget - although i'm happy to be proved wrong!

As for local sales, well, it's quite difficult. We live on a long, busy road. There are many many houses on the road, although they don't appear to come up very often. We are also in the minority when it comes to house styles, as the road is a proper mix of terraced Victorian 2/3 story, small (possibly Georgian) detached, flats (both converted old buildings and newer 2/3 story) and then a very small pocket of 1930's properties - but we are one of only 4, with only one other being detached. Past values are very hard to find, and conditions vary wildly - as do other people perception of what is nice and what isn't! For a prime example - next door to us is a semi detached 4-storey, 4-bed house, dating back to possibly Georgian times. It sold around 6-7 years ago for £160k - an absolute steal price-wise, but it was in a state. The other half of this same semi, on a smaller plot but in a 'finished' condition sold the year after for £340k. Needless to say, our newer neighbours are sitting on a goldmine when they finish it off, but it has definitely been a labour for them!

Hoploz

Just clean and declutter, maybe a few pretty tubs or plants in the garden and out front to look welcoming.

Estate agents always tell you not to bother making any changes.

Sounds like you've been busy doing everything since you've been there anyway. Rest up.

ElsieMonkey

I think it depends on your target market. You say you reckon 2nd/3rd time buyers, and it sounds like a family sized home. With this in mind they're probably not scared of doing a bit of work to make it their own, but if they have a young family they may appreciate something they can just move into (are there good schools nearby?) and make their own slowly over time? I'd just majorly declutter, depersonalise and deep clean. Make sure silicone around bath/shower etc is mould free clean and white. Set the place up in such a way your target market would want to live in it (defined rooms with purpose, kitchen/diner/garden lifestyle, safe and pretty garden for kids to play...). Your house is clearly not a dooer-upper, but you admit some things need attention. If it was a complete dooer-upper I say don't do anything because people shopping for a dooer-upper don't want to pay for someone else's taste. But the kind of things you need do won't add value, just make it easier/quicker to sell, and that's key I think. Just make it easy for your target market to imagine themselves living there.

alumende27

Agreed on the declutter and clean. It's good to show that a house is roomy so clutter and too much furniture can be a killer. Some people buy based on what a property looks like at the time of viewing, but equally others can see through all that and buy it because of the size, location or because they're looking for a project.

I sold my last but one house with a small hole in the bathroom ceiling from when it had got damaged due to a previously leaking roof. I still managed to sell the house for the desired asking price.

lincroft1710

GBR78 wrote: »

, knocked through the galley kitchen into the dining room to create an open-plan area (still defined kitchen/dining room, but with more of a feel of space rather than being crammed in a 6ft wide room)

Did you get Building Regs for this and have Building Control signed it off.

walwyn1978

Another vote for declutter, deep clean the house, regrout bathroom etc. Touch up any scuffs/chips in paintwork if you can. Garden - tidy up, few cheap pots with flowers/plants in to break up the eyeline. If decking is looking a bit tired consider a paint or stain to make it look more presentable. Driveway - weedkiller/weed if anything is showing. Clean it as well - remove any lichens.


Apart from that, no sense making huge investment as the new owner will presumably want to do their own thing. All of the ideas above are really to stop them haggling over price for work that was avoidable. Good luck!