Family home - renovate prior to sale or cheap for quicker sale

polgara

My mother has finally recognised that she can’t cope at home and has agreed to move into a care home.  Due to her income (pensions) she’d be self funding but she’d still need to sell her house.

The issue is she is a heavy, heavy smoker and lets just say the house is in pretty bad condition.  It would need completely clearing, some carpet removing (don’t ask 🤢), whole house rewire, replaster in places and scrubbing before a complete redecoration.  Obviously some of this we can do ourselves (clearage, cleaning, painting) but the rewire and plastering would need the professionals. The house is in a pretty popular place and houses sell relatively quickly but we’ve not seen any in such a state.

The issue is do we sell at a realistic amount taking into account that things need doing or would
we be better getting the major jobs done and leaving it as a blank canvas?  

Extra complication would be us racking up care homes fees whilst we try and sell.

walwyn1978

I would look to sort it - if only because people tend to over estimate making good in their heads, and will take 10/20/30/40k off your already as stated ‘realistic amount’ asking price in their bid. 

A lot of people  find it hard to see past obvious work and would thus be put off - so you’re narrowing the sales market. 

Clean it up, plaster and wire, simple plain paint job, then it’s blank and clean for anyone to see it as a house to make theirs, not a potential pit of issues. 

[Deleted User]

polgara said:

My mother has finally recognised that she can’t cope at home and has agreed to move into a care home.  Due to her income (pensions) she’d be self funding but she’d still need to sell her house.

The issue is she is a heavy, heavy smoker and lets just say the house is in pretty bad condition.  It would need completely clearing, some carpet removing (don’t ask 🤢), whole house rewire, replaster in places and scrubbing before a complete redecoration.  Obviously some of this we can do ourselves (clearage, cleaning, painting) but the rewire and plastering would need the professionals. The house is in a pretty popular place and houses sell relatively quickly but we’ve not seen any in such a state.

The issue is do we sell at a realistic amount taking into account that things need doing or would
we be better getting the major jobs done and leaving it as a blank canvas?  

Extra complication would be us racking up care homes fees whilst we try and sell.

I’d clean it and sell it. I doubt you’d see the money back for rewiring and the plastering. 

AlexMac

 Sympathies; difficult for you and mum to admit she can't cope.
I agree with wally above, with the caveat that everything depends on the numbers, on the value of the house and the local market.  You don't say what the average or ceiling price is in her street, but a £5k-£10k  job such as you describe would maybe make the place so much more attractive that it would add twice or three times that to the sale price... in an area where values are well above the UK average of £256k.  But it might not in if the street ceiling price is £150k?

Ask local agents, although in my experience, they'll just say "sell now; as is".

The interim position is just to clear, declutter/empty, strip carpets and give it a good clean and see what happens. Maybe even slap a coat of paint on the worst walls.  

My first house was a wreck; but we were naive 1st timers, and the only reason my wife went for it was that they'd toshed it up by painting every surface white (this, in the 1970's before that became the trendy default).  I could see through the problems but she'd not have touched it in the state you describe.

The final consideration is whether you'd find the work too emotionally draining; or whether it would be a helpful way of dissipating your angst and diverting you?

AdrianC

I'd do the basics.

Clear it out, get shot of the carpet, give everywhere a bloody good scrub (or four), and maybe a once-over with a bucket of magnolia.

Then leave it at that. You'll find the daytime-TV-believers tripping over themselves, and it'll probably sell quickly for damn near as much as if you'd done the work.

eddddy

I'd be tempted to ask some local estate agents for their opinions. Explain that you're planning to sell, and you're wondering what work you should do on the property first.

I've generally got interesting feedback from EAs when I've done that. Although they tend to err on the side of doing less work, rather than more work, because they'd want you to get the house on the market sooner rather than later. But it's still been useful feedback.

Davesnave

I would clear, clean and paint, then market at a realistic price in the New Year. Anything else isn't likely to reward you , especially in the economic climate we are likely to see next year.

trex227

I agree with most others- clear, deep clean and paint in a neutral colour. I wouldn’t bother with rewiring or plastering as you never know what potential buyers plans are. They might want to take down walls, do an extension etc and won’t have an issue doing a rewire and replaster as part of this.

youth_leader

Sorry your Mum is going into a home, I hope she is happy.  My house needed renovation and I wish I'd got quotes to show the buyers, to stop the ridiculous 'over estimating' of the works required. 

If you clean and paint, and get quotes for the work you have identified you can price it accurately compared to similar houses that don't need work.  Good luck.

seradane

AdrianC said:

Clear it out, get shot of the carpet, give everywhere a bloody good scrub (or four), and maybe a once-over with a bucket of magnolia.

Why do people still suggest magnolia?? That colour just makes me think of a low-effort rental that hasn't been updated since the 90's.

Pure white or a very light cool grey are your up-to-date neutrals this decade, I would suggest instead.

AdrianC

The colour is irrelevant - except that it's going to be clean. PBW is more likely to show things, where <insert generic not-quite-white> won't.

And a big tub of trade maggy is going to be cheap down the builder's merchant.