Selling House - How much work would you do?

youth_leader

I had three rooms redecorated in a neutral colour for £380, as well as some cracks filled. Unfortunately the dripping tap in the kitchen became worse and I had that replaced for £250 for a new tap and fitting. My house was listed and a difficult sale, as time went on I noticed more and more maintenance issues and had the outside of the porch painted at £660 (gothic windows), had the sandstone repointed at £350, and then the window sills fell off the bathroom and back bedroom - another £900 for repair/scaffolding.  I think I paid around £350 for a deep clean for two people, for two days, just before I went onto the market.

When I received an offer, my buyer's surveyor whispered in my ear that 'your water tank has a leak' which terrified me as I expected an imminent flood, another £250 I wasn't expecting to spend.  

In hindsight it was money I could have spent on my purchase, which needs some repairs, 

paulj2021

I was tempted to spend a chunk of money on getting stuff like the old windows sorted because they definitely need replacement but in the end I just got essential small roof repairs and things like painting the soffits and tidying up the rooms. So far no one has commented on the windows!

Redwino222

I replaced the kitchen flooring - badly cracked and chipped black tiles that looked horrendous.  I got new fronts on the kitchen cupboards - looks like a new kitchen.  I painted most rooms, and power hosed the driveway.

looked like a new build once I had finished and was snapped up.  My market was first time buyers and the work I did made the house look modern and low maintenance. 

But it depends on so many thangs I agree best to chat to your estate agent.

Gers

I'm selling my late DM's flat.  The estate agent suggested that I get a new consumer unit as the present one is a mixture of old and new types and would come up as a three on the Home Report.  Other than that he said not to bother with anything.  The downside to this place is a very dated kitchen.  The upsides are many.  Home Report being done in two weeks.  Fingers crossed.

Slinky

Amongst the list of things I did was, wallpapered some feature walls with paper to match the existing paintwork on other walls, changed some curtains,  bought some new bedlinen,had the drive and patio pressure washed, tidied the garden, planted some bedding plants, put down fresh bark in the flowerbeds, pulled out the weeds in the gutters ourside our house, litter picked our street and the footpath behind it. Picked the agent with the most professional photographers rather than the one whose staff take photos on their phones and include things like washing drying on radiators and toilet seats up.

Irishpearce26

To be honest I wouldn't bother spending anything. You could spend £1-3K decorating replacing flooring and cupboards but the new owners may want to rip it out. Redecorating is part and parcel of buying a house and if you price it right should sell quickly for asking.

My parents spent £2.5k on their house because an agent said if they updated the décor they would get X amount, they listed higher and had no bites then listed lower had bites and someone offered slightly lower. Hindsight they are probably £2.5k down if they just listed it right and didn't do anything.

youth_leader

I'd forgotten the garden, I spent about £1000 having the yew hedges and trees trimmed back.  New owner has cut them all down so that was definitely a waste of money.

lumencreative

Thanks for all the tips. I love the idea of new towels in the bathrooms. 

One thing we are concentrating on is the garden (as we had booked that in before even thinking about moving). 

I’ll go through all the other suggestions with my wife and put a plan together and will also be speaking to a few estate agents. 

btcp

The condition of the house would not significantly impact the price, but if it’s turn key it may sell faster. Clean and tidy is good, maybe repaint some walls neutral.  I wouldn’t suggest any heavy lifting as generally it’s a waste of money. 

StandingInTheSun

There was a house went up for sale in an area we were interested in recently. It was old and in need of modernisation (the owner had died and his son was selling it) - that's OK and not out of the norm.

But the dirt and the smell...I've never seen anything as disgusting in a house before. Cobwebs, dead animals, damp and mould. I asked the estate agent how on earth they were happy to show people around it and they agreed that the owner should have had the place deep cleaned. But they apparently just didn't care.

That house is STILL available in an area with a ridiculously hot market.