Best way to add value when selling a house

Molly_girl138

Hello!
I'm currently attempting to sell my property due to divorce,  of which my ex partner is still living in.  Unfortunately he hasn't particularly maintained the property over the past 18 months since I left and now we're struggling to get anyone interested in it.  Any suggestions of what I can do to improve its value,  based on the fact I'm at his mercy to do any improvements? 

[Deleted User]

 You probably wont increase value unless building an extension etc
but you can improve its saleability by carrying out general maintenance and decoration. 

Crashy_Time

People tend to buy location and size not general state of repair TBH, make sure it is priced to undercut other similar houses that may be in better condition if you want to have a chance of selling quickly.

daivid

OP: If you provide a link to the online listing you will get some useful advice based on your property, without it you will just get guesses. You won't be able to create an active link as a new user, but if you provide it as plain text someone will create an active link for you.

GDB2222

A few tips:
1. You're welcome to be naturists, just not during viewings.
2. Don't boil fish before viewings.
....

Irishpearce26

If you are cash strapped the here is my tips;
- Declutter your house, it shows the space!
-Clean it, clean it and clean it. No one wants a dirty house.
-Make it warm, put the heating on 10 minutes before a viewing and light a scented candle in the living room.
-Update the EA on unique selling points the house has to offer e.g. big garden, off road parking etc.
Regarding your ex can you/he buy each other out? If not you are entitled to go into your home before viewings and sort it out.

Thrugelmir

A coat of neutral coloured paint does a lot to freshen a room up.  

Davesnave

Molly_girl138 said:

Hello!
I'm currently attempting to sell my property due to divorce,  of which my ex partner is still living in.  Unfortunately he hasn't particularly maintained the property over the past 18 months since I left and now we're struggling to get anyone interested in it.  Any suggestions of what I can do to improve its value,  based on the fact I'm at his mercy to do any improvements? 

Maintenance isn't particularly an issue over 18 months on a property properly maintained in the first place, so I'd guess you mean that your ex isn't keeping it clean and tidy, reducing its immediate appeal. They may well be doing this deliberately, in which case reasoning with them will probably have little effect. The most effective way to get the place tidy would be to move in again and handle the viewings yourself, but you may be as disinclined to do that as your ex is to cooperate.

In the circumstances, improving value from your perspective might be well-nigh impossible. To get the house sold, you need to improve the value to the purchaser by lowering the price. If you cannot agree on that then legal due process must occur and the only beneficiary in that situation will be the lawyers. That's probably your best argument.

yksi

Reading between the lines it sounds like the home is untidy and/or dirty.

Aside from legal advice, maybe you can remind him that it needs to be clean, uncluttered and tidy, otherwise HE will lose money from his share of the sale. Sometimes only money talks.

As an aside, you said "your" property and you said "partner" not husband. Is it actually yours alone, or does it belong to both of you?

Nebulous2

We’ve just sold, remarkably quickly. We were fortunate to be able to move before we put it on the market. I couldn’t believe how much room there was, but we had filled a shipping container with stuff. 

We did a lot of tidying up first. The biggest was getting the external woodwork painted. We removed the TV, a lot of the furniture, filled holes and touched up the emulsion. Fortunately we had spare paint for most of the areas. 

In between viewings we found time for a coffee after disinfecting the door handles and major touch points. We had just started it when the next people arrived early, so I stuck the two cups of coffee in a cupboard. After they had gone my wife said it had worked well, with the smell of fresh coffee. 

GDB2222

Davesnave said:

Molly_girl138 said:

Hello!
I'm currently attempting to sell my property due to divorce,  of which my ex partner is still living in.  Unfortunately he hasn't particularly maintained the property over the past 18 months since I left and now we're struggling to get anyone interested in it.  Any suggestions of what I can do to improve its value,  based on the fact I'm at his mercy to do any improvements? 

Maintenance isn't particularly an issue over 18 months on a property properly maintained in the first place, so I'd guess you mean that your ex isn't keeping it clean and tidy, reducing its immediate appeal. They may well be doing this deliberately, in which case reasoning with them will probably have little effect. The most effective way to get the place tidy would be to move in again and handle the viewings yourself, but you may be as disinclined to do that as your ex is to cooperate.

In the circumstances, improving value from your perspective might be well-nigh impossible. To get the house sold, you need to improve the value to the purchaser by lowering the price. If you cannot agree on that then legal due process must occur and the only beneficiary in that situation will be the lawyers. That's probably your best argument.

The partner living in the property may be very very happy with the status quo. He has a place to live in, partly funded with his partner's equity. He has no interest in the property being sold, so high sale price and poor presentation suits him down to the ground. 

As a buyer, I would not be very interested where there is a divorce in progress, and this seems like a similar situation.

At some stage the OP may have to resort to the courts.