How should I prepare for my house valuation?

Toots0293

First time selling, totally unsure of the process. I’ve booked a house valuation for next week. I’m looking at selling my house due to relocating (new job opportunity came up), but I’ve only owned it since September last year. Majority of the big jobs are done, but there’s still more redecorating / jobs to finish I would have done if I was staying here, but wondering whether there is any point doing them at this stage. Hoping the valuation will help guide me, but posting on here in the hope that someone else has had similar decisions to make before, and what they did.

babyblade41

Just price it properly, people will see what needs doing so the price has to reflect the condition.

With my currant house it was pretty much falling down 3 years ago & plans were to get it up to a basic standard throughout ..however situations change so all the rotten jobs were done, re- plastering , electrics , chimney flashings repaired along with re-pointing , guttering & fascias replaced.

So now it's water tight, up to standard , damp solved & new consumer board fitted but apart from everywhere being white paint on every wall it does need making into a home .

 The bathroom wasn't replaced as  there is PP which would have needed a full replacement & as the extensions weren't started it would have been a waste of money ripping it out so it has a fetching  coloured bath !

The price reflected that there is still work to do & had 20 viewers in the first week, sadly the cash buyer withdrew day before exchange but there was a list of people who viewed waiting in line & offer accepted 2 days later 

ReadingTim

Get 3 lots of estate agents round and see what each of them says - it's their job after all.  

With regard to redecorating etc, some buyers will appreciate a blank canvas and the opportunity to create what they want, others will be put off by the fact that they will have to do the work and would rather have somewhere they can move into straight away.  A compromise could be a white/neutral colour colour scheme such as you get with refurbs or new builds. 

But whatever you do, it's probably best to aim for a look which says "job done" rather than "given up half way through"...

youth_leader

I wouldn't spend any money on it, just make sure the house is clean and decluttered.  I regret every penny I spent on mine as the buyer is changing everything.  

lookstraightahead

When we sold my mum in laws house it was all 5 decades old. Estate agent said don't do it up as it will all be ripped out anyway, and internal work generally doesn't get the money back.

RelievedSheff

Make sure that the house is clean and tidy but don't spend money on decorating. If there are little minor jobs that need doing that will give a better impression of the house consider doing those.

eddddy

Toots0293 said:

How should I prepare for my house valuation?

It sounds like you might be approaching this from the wrong direction.

Essentially, you are inviting some estate agents to interview them - and decide which one you will give the job of selling your house.

They will give you their sales pitch, including stuff like..

• "The reasons you should pick my firm are..."
• "If you give me the job, I think I can sell your house for £x"

They are house selling professionals, so you should pick their brains. The questions you ask them should include things like...

• What should I do to make my house more appealing for people viewing

plus lots of questions about how they sell, how successful they've been, their terms of business, etc.


(On the odd occasion, I even tested them by saying "Estate agents a, b and c have been to see me this morning - why should I pick you instead of them?". Sometimes I get really good answers. But sometimes that seems a bit too confrontational, and can get the relationship off to  a bad start.)


And bear in mind that estate agents are professional salespeople - so they're likely to put a lot of positive spin on all their answers - so you need to do a lot of filtering of what they say.

Woolsery

RelievedSheff said:

Make sure that the house is clean and tidy but don't spend money on decorating. If there are little minor jobs that need doing that will give a better impression of the house consider doing those.

I second this. Clean. Tidy. Good impression on entry.

I can remember entering this house back in 2009 and thinking, "Gosh, this is warm and bright; much nicer than I imagined from the photos!" It's true, some of the rest was tatty, but my initial thoughts were favourable. Speaking with the agent last week he laughed and said: "We try not to use wide angle lenses or put up arty-farty photos. We don't want people to be disappointed when they see the house for real."

Slithery

babyblade41 said:

With my currant house it was pretty much falling down 3 years ago...

What else did you expect from a house made of currants?

babyblade41

Slithery said:

babyblade41 said:

With my currant house it was pretty much falling down 3 years ago...

What else did you expect from a house made of currants?

    oh my lawd... what was I thinking .  It's a word I'm constantly getting wrong ..It is now my currant nemesis 

Noneforit999

Unless there is anything major like big cracks, bits of plaster missing etc then I wouldn't bother for the EA valuation. 

Once you get some viewings booked, perhaps go round and fill any wall dings, paint over any marks etc. Buyers are going to redecorate anyway so I wouldn't put too much effort in. 

The EA we used said the important thing is to ensure the house is clean and tidy, clear away any clutter to make the rooms look as big as possible. We have a toddler so his toys were often on the floor so we stuck most of them in the garage which helped make his room far less cluttered. Same with the kitchen, we stuck stuff away to make it look like there was lots of worktop space. Clean, tidy and as least clutter as you can manage.