Worth installing heating?

Markus251

Hi all, after recently inheriting mother in laws house, looking for some advice. We'll be selling the house but want to get as much as we can for it.

It has no central heating at all, just a gas fire in the living room and an immersion tank in a bedroom cupboard that has to be switched on for around an hour just to get hot water.

Would it be beneficial to install a cheap (ish) central heating system with combi boiler? Will it increase property value to cover the cost? I know it will make the house more appealing to buyers.

HHouse Is a 3 bed semi, completely empty so a blank canvas for plumbers etc.

RelievedSheff

I would probably just sell it as it is.

plumb1_2

ask a local estate agent

Albermarle

Not everybody likes combis.

What is the condition of the rest of the house? If it is otherwise ready to move in with not much work needed, it could be a good idea to install central heating, whilst nobody was living there. Having no heating would put off quite a lot of buyers.

However if it needs a lot of work anyway to modernise it etc., then I would not bother installing a new heating system.

EssexExile

Local knowledge is needed to answer that question. If it was me I would leave it as is, who knows what sort of heating system a prospective buyer would want?

WIAWSNB

Rough value of house, Mark?

It'll clearly make the house easier to sell - there can be little question about that - but obviously your concern is whether you'll recoup the installation cost.

I would get three quotes for a full combi CH installation, and specify 'over-sized radiators' as part of the package. Consider fitting an ASHP as an alternative - by all means get quotes - but you'll need to balance this extra cost against recoup.

Then add these quotes to the expected asking/achieving price, and see what you have.

If it looks most likely you will recoup this outlay, then I'd go for it - your house will stand out amongst others as having not only a brand new CH system, but also one that has been designed for max efficiency. 'New boiler!' is a very emotive term 🙂 'High efficiency' is ditto.

Over-sized rads will operate at a much lower water temperature, which will make a gas boiler behave more efficiently, but - more importantly - will also suit the next (ok, current…) generation of heat sources such as Heat Pumps. Water temp is a major factor in HP efficiency, so if you fit a rad system to operate well with this, it should be very attractive to buyers.

Pros for buyer: they don't have to start their new life in the house by ripping it apart. They'll have a highly-efficient and future-proofed CH installation, ready for switching to an ASHP if they wish (I think that will be attractive - so push it in the sales partics). Fewer additional costs they'll need to factor in to the whole house-buying process.

Cons for buyer: I can't think of any.

Pros for you - a much larger pool of potential buyers; many will not even entertain a house that needs this amount of disruptive work as soon as they move in. Virtually certain to be a higher achieved sale price. Almost certain - depending on house value - a greater-than-cost recoup.

Cons for you: initial cost. Potential for not recouping the outlay.

clive0510

If you install central heating you are just giving yourself one more thing to worry about. and you probably got enough of that all ready. so sell it as it is. sold as seen. take the money and run!.

Eldi_Dos

If the house is completely empty and you have time, strip all the walls and ceilings and if necessary get any plaster skimmed would I think would be a good cost effective way of improving sellability.

BikingBud

If you start down that road where do you stop?

What is the state of the electric/kitchen/bathroom/insulation/roof all old houses hide money pits.

Personally I would consider there is significant time value against pure cost that could be swallowed up in trying to do something "simple".

Personally I would if possible see what you can pay forward by giving a young family the opportunity to invest their time in getting a family home they can renovate and enjoy.

Rodders53

Don't bother. Sell as is and it's a doer upper.

Buyer may wish to knock walls down for open plan… Move kitchen and bathrooms… Rewire (almost certainly needed for more sockets in the right places, RCBOs and RCD upgrades).

May desire underfloor heating… radiators will be in the wrong places, not flashy designer they want (that don't work but that's fashion for you).

To top the lot combis are the spawn of the devil. Unvented HW cylinder is better (essential for heat pump in the future).

Cheap install will look like that and put off ones that want a better installation.

Add decent value and you'll also have Capital Gains Tax issues to deal with.

Mind, round here Builder-developers have a penchant for snaffling such houses.

bjorn_toby_wilde

I would talk to a couple of local estate agents.

They will tell you what might add value and what won’t. When we sold my MIL’s house we asked two agents to look over it and give us their opinion.

Before we spoke to them I thought the old fashioned bathroom and kitchen would both need updating but they both said to leave well alone. Buyers prefer to update to their own tastes and it wouldn’t add enough value to cover our costs.