Getting a House Ready for Sale

the_quick

Just wonder on the carpets. Would you replace carpets if they are a bit tired or would you leave the choice for the buyer and if it comes to negotiating reduce the price.

For me as a buyer, I wouldn't mind old carpets and replace them with something that I like, rather than having new cheap carpets that I have to replace for something more decent - it just feel like waste of money.

Clean and tidy house, old bathroom and kitchen would not put me off, as long as clean - if in really bad state it would tell me that owner did not care about house, so lots of other thing might be wrong

getmore4less

Curb appeal.

With a year or two you have time to make it look like it has always been like that, any cut back/replacement will have time to establish.

Both front and back garden maintenance/freshen up this summer, will still look good for 2 winters.

Start the declutter and freshen up again so it does not look like it was done yesterday just to sell, you also get the benefit for a while.
That just painted look == what are they hiding.

have a think about target market so you keep the stuff to dress the rooms, you might only need 2 beds for the new place but if this one has more bedrooms keep them.

Another thing to do is look on google maps and street view, you can't change them but will show you what others will be looking at in your area.

DigForVictory

+1 for clean as if potential mother in law coming to visit. No shame in hiring professionals if your timing or health recommend.

Declutter. Not down to empty rooms, but well beyond basic good intentions (you have a look at how much storage costs, and what things go for & how cheap digital storage is for all the paperwork & photos - it helps!)

Conceal all evidence of children, pets & any significant others. (If that means a workshop just has external photos so be it. Just put the serious professional cost of relocating it on the to do list.) Just for the photos & open day.

You may want to have a word with a local florist about hiring hanging baskets & ornamental planters if your skills & inclinations do not run that way - boost the kerb appeal & recognition without taking ownership.

Fix little things but rewiring, carpets, kitchens, & bathrooms are all for the buyer. It'll give you things to courteously negotiate over.

Do not 'dress' a potential nursery as such - let the buyer figure it for themselves. Not every potential buyer is childless by choice & it's none of your business if they fill it with children, a sex swing or a server farm. You just want them to buy the house.

All the best!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I bought a house in a probate sale that hadn't been fully cleared ie there was still old lady junk everywhere. Disgusting walls, carpets and curtains. Vile orange 70s tiles in the bathroom (although there was a fairly new, modern white suite). All of that was cosmetic, non-urgent and fixable.

I viewed a more expensive house of identical size and shape on the same estate which I didn't offer on as it had been "done up" and priced accordingly. However, the doing up wasn't to my taste; trendy wetroom but no bathtub, shiny new kitchen but nasty bright white units.

A solid Victorian house with tired but perfectly functional decor is very desirable to many buyers.

Basic essentials for freshening up:

-clean windows inside and out (this time of year there is a wintry grime build-up that is really highlighted by the low light).
-clean skirting boards; these are often neglected.
-sugar soap the paintwork, gets rid of all sorts of old grot.
-hire a steam cleaner for the carpets. You'll be shocked by the state of the water that runs out of the steamer.

scottiescott

What I did....
Upgraded the fuse box to a new consumer unit. Was met with much nodding of head and positive comments when pointed out.
My garden was always a feature and it was also met with great enthusiasm. Get it tidy and lots of colour. Tom Thumb seeds are cheap and fill bare patches with loads of colour come summer.
For not a lot of money you can get house sprayed for woodworm and more importantly get a 25 year guarantee certificate.

AdrianC

scottiescott wrote: »

What I did....
Upgraded the fuse box to a new consumer unit. Was met with much nodding of head and positive comments when pointed out.

Was this before or after Part P of Building Regs was introduced in 2005? Because after that, anybody replacing a CU is legally required to certify the entire electrical installation...

Of course, a potential buyer may be happy to accept that BR hasn't been fully complied in that respect... Or the perennial indemnity can be cheaply acquired...

esmy

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

I bought a house in a probate sale that hadn't been fully cleared ie there was still old lady junk everywhere. Disgusting walls, carpets and curtains. Vile orange 70s tiles in the bathroom (although there was a fairly new, modern white suite). All of that was cosmetic, non-urgent and fixable.

Just like ours was then even down to the orange tiles but we had an orange bathroom suite to match! And the tiles had been put on on top of wallpaper.....there were many such horrors, too many to list.

To respond to other posters, timber was treated on moving in (with a guarantee from a firm still in business), carpets are by and large OK and will be better with a good clean, we are blessed with several cheap carpet shops locally so any that need it could be replaced, we don't have much of a garden but I like gardening and can make it look good as I do every Spring/Summer. I think we'll leave well alone re the electrics. We have no young children at home and a very timid cat who would make herself scarce. There are 5 bedrooms in all (but with one bathroom which has been an issue in the past) so I suppose it's a family home, as it was for us. I really don't care what anyone wants to do with the house - the adjoining neighbours might have other ideas! Decluttering is the biggie - I'm sure we have boxes in the attic that came from the last house and remain unopened to this day!

Thanks everyone.

getmore4less

There are 5 bedrooms in all........... Decluttering is the biggie - I'm sure we have boxes in the attic that came from the last house and remain unopened to this day!

What might be worth doing if you have a spare room is clear the attic into a sorting room that you can take your time and have stuff hidden away.

A good shelf unit and a table can make the job much easier.