Does a house HAVE to be decorated before selling?

Tunstallstoven

Hi all

I'm just curious really... I know it makes a lot of sense to decorate before selling, so that it is more attractive to viewers, etc. But what state of decoration does it HAVE to be in when sold? And are there any other things which must be done?

I'm still in the first house I ever bought, so the selling side of things is all new to me...

Cheers

moneyistooshorttomention

No.

Personally - I'd be a bit suspicious about obviously brand new decor. That suspicion going along the lines of "Wonder if they're trying to hide damp?".

It would be a waste if it wasn't decorated my way too.

p00hsticks

Personally I'd say no, unless you have very 'in your face' tastes that might put people off (e.g. bright red paint, psychedelic wallpaper, lime green skirting boards).

Tunstallstoven

OK, thanks for the quick replies. So there is no "requirement" as such then...

The house all white, so none of the kind of stuff you mention p00hsticks!

We do like to keep our house in good order... But as with most houses I guess, there might be areas behind furniture which are not in as good a decorating order as the rest of the house. Likewise, carpets are usually a different shade under the areas that are covered than they are elsewhere.

Do those kinds of things matter?

Ta

Slinky

Is this a windup?

Tunstallstoven

No! Just someone that worries too much by the sounds of things!

Alter_ego

Seagull27 wrote: »

And are there any other things which must be done?

You must provide an energy performance certificate (EPC)

[Deleted User]

no, white is good. Mine is all white but I am doing a deep clean ie all paintwork and skirtings. A dirty house would put me off but I would prefer to decorate

Lukman

pros and cons....

if i see a house that looks as new... i wonder if the seller has done that to say hide damp problems etc... or maybe they have actually spent good money and done a proper fix up.

equally though, if i see pictures of a property with patterned wallpaper, it's on my "no" list right away... patterns are a very personal choice... if you have patterned wall papers... seriously consider getting rid of them.... buyers might find the patterns off putting. if i see an advert with dirty white wall paper, i think, no problem, i can clean it up or paint over it or something.... if i see dark patterned wallpaper, i think, damn, i will have to take it down and then re-wallpaper or plaster / paint... whatever the process is and it puts me off.

i'd fill in any holes in the walls (i had one where a door handle would hit the wall)... fix up any light fittings etc... make the house look like a home ready to move into. small, but simple things.

dunroving

Alter_ego wrote: »

You must provide an energy performance certificate (EPC)

And if you are in Scotland, you must provide a Home Report ("survey")

Re: decorating before selling, it can be very expensive to repaint a whole house, and the buyer may not want to incorporate that cost into their offer price (but the seller may feel they have to increase the asking price to reflect the redecorate). If a house looks clean, in good condition, but the decor is "old" (unfashionable, whatever), I think many buyers would rather get the house cheaper and do it up at their leisure, in their tastes.

I had my house completely replastered and repainted when I moved in 11 years ago. Some of the plastering has cracked slightly, and in two rooms it has "sheared" (?) - come away slightly from the underlying wall (but only in some places - maybe < 5% of the wall area, close to the ceiling). It happened within one year of the job being done and has not got worse. Because it looks bad and might put off some buyers, I have decided to get it repaired and the walls repainted. Still waiting on the quote but if it is too much, I may not bother.

Interested what people think - would it be better for buyers to see it, and incorporate it into the offer price? Or do it before viewing?

the_quick

I'm just looking to buy and we don't even bother with houses that freshly redecorated, refitted kitchen or carpets etc. I like houses that are clean and tidy, if you have any minor issues, like some switching not working, or broken bulbs - small staff - fix it. We have viewer who checked all lights, including light above mirrors, check if light in the oven is working and thing like this.
Don't replace any carpets, as a buyer I expect that I might have to do that when I move in - and I will be able to decide on colour and quality.
Just clean it and keep it tidy for viewings and you will be fine