Selling house. Repairs / Survey

r3l

Hi. 

I’m hoping someone could advise please. I am selling a property. Ive had valuations and all said it will have lots of interest and no problem in selling, all have given the same valuation bracket. 

Due to various circumstances and the fact it’s not been necessarily lived in full time there are a lot of things needed. The obvious ones being updated kitchen and bathroom, new windows doors and decor - all have been factored into all the valuations and I’ve been told not a problem as the buyer will know this. 

However I have remembered there are issues. For instance, the bathroom light does not switch on, the extraction fan does not work and I believe the shower also. The toilet cistern had a slight crack in I believe it was patched up and then covered in vinyl. It works fine and has for years. 

My question is, how do I go about this? I do not have the money to fix these things. The valuations factored in a new bathroom etc but I’m concerned if the buyer intends to live in and then do repairs down the line thinking that it’s a fully working bathroom, which it sort of is but I wouldn’t want to not disclose issues and essentially screw someone over, especially as it’s a family home. 

My other concern is the survey, Im sure these things will get picked up and will affect the sale. 

As I say I am not able to replace/repair, if I could I would! 

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks so much 

gwynlas

EA valued the house as is and it sounds as though it will need a full renovation. You might carry out small repairs that would makr it habitable eg bathroom light but do not get involved in nything major as house correctly priced and buyers will expect to make offers.

r3l

Hi thanks so much for reply  

I only remembered these little things after the valuations. Should I inform the estate agents, as even though it’s valued as needing new bathroom etc I don’t think they would’ve picked up on the light not working, shower/extraction and cistern? 

Thank you 

AskAsk

If you can fix the problems then do so, else wait for the survey.  It is up to the buyer to make sure they check everything.  More than likely, they will re-negotiate the price when they have received the survey.

I wouldn't get too concerned about it at this stage.

RelievedSheff

If the house is priced to factor in it's current condition then there is no point in spending any further money on it. Buyers will be able to see the condition when they view the property.

user1977

You're overthinking what are trivial, easily DIYable things to fix. A buyer isn't going to stomp off in a huff just because the light isn't working.

AskAsk

user1977 said:

You're overthinking what are trivial, easily DIYable things to fix. A buyer isn't going to stomp off in a huff just because the light isn't working.

exactly this.  fixing a light is a fairly simple job.  extractor fan not working isn't a problem as a lot of properties don't even have an extractor fan!  and replacing an extracor fan is a small job.

the crack in the toilet cistern may be of concern but not if they are going to replace it anyway.  sounds like the property needs to be updated so more than likely they will fit a new toilet and bathroom.

the shower not working, they can replace.  not a huge cost.

the buyer can always negotiate a price reduction when they get the survey through and i tend to agree with them if it is reasonable.

r3l

Hi thank you all so much for putting my mind at ease. I know they’re not very big jobs but they are beyond my capabilities and cost wise not possible. 

Does anyone have any advise on the buyers home survey, is it standard to negotiate at that point and any idea on how much usually? 

Thank you again 

BarelySentientAI

r3l said:

Hi thank you all so much for putting my mind at ease. I know they’re not very big jobs but they are beyond my capabilities and cost wise not possible. 

Does anyone have any advise on the buyers home survey, is it standard to negotiate at that point and any idea on how much usually? 

Thank you again 

Lots of buyers then try to negotiate for all sorts of amounts.  Often things that you should say no to anyway.

There is no "usually" like that, it all depends on what the actual issue is, whether it was already obvious, and how much each side wants to argue.

Jemma01

You sound like a wonderful seller, wish all sellers were like that.

You don't need to worry about it. The home survey i did on a house had lots of little issues, broken handles, bla bla. Any reasonable buyer will know there are repairs that need doing. The only thing I insisted on is all reds found in the electrician's report be fixed. And I didn't negotiate the price, I said "fix it please" and they agreed. If someone will pick up on little things like a broken bulb, tell them no. If it is a serious problem that would NOT have been visible during the viewing (as in the case with electricity) then it should probably be fixed, as it might bother other buyers. As you have already factored in major fixes, I wouldn't give in to negotiations easily.

You are selling as-is. It is not your responsibility to sell a fully functioning home. Hardly any home has everything working 🤔