Increasing value for House Sale

wwfwilla

Hi everyone.
I have a couple of questions about selling my house to maximise its sale price. I know an estate agent would be ideal to ask but i'm in the doing it up stage to make it look nice for a sale and am about 2 months away from starting the process so just wondered if these things were worth spending money on.

1. En-suite. I have a 3-bedroom terrace house. Previously it already had a downstairs toilet and one in the upstairs bathroom. A 3rd toilet was added via an en-suite in the main bedroom. The previous owner purely did the house up to rent, so everything installed was new but very basic (i.e. the cheapest option). He put up a stud wall in the main bedroom and added an en-suite. By en-suite, I mean he added a shower cubicle (just under a metre square) with electric shower, a basic toilet and a sink basin. These were all connected via macerator (a waste pump) as it wasn't connected directly to the mains. Being a sole occupant I didn't need 3 toilets in the house so I had the en-suite removed. I put up about 3 Ikea units (2 wardrobe and one bookcase) and kinda used it as a walk-in wardrobe. It would probably cost me £750-£1000 to put it back to an en-suite. I was wondering whether it was worth doing. For reference, I have included a couple of pics. I'd describe it a Tesco Value en-suite haha.
2. Additionally, when I moved in the garden was very overgrown and I cleared it all away. Behind the dead trees at the back was an approx. 3 foot tall boundary wall. Over the wall are gardens of other properties on the next road. At the moment I have a 6ft high fence on the left and right of the garden but just the 3ft wall at the back. Would it increase value for me to put a fence in at the back, or even some screening? Or am I best leaving it and let a new owner put something in that fits with their vision? The only issue I suppose is that of privacy. Would me putting something in there be good overall?

Thanks for your help everyone :)

Albermarle

The usual advice is to spend very little, as whatever you do a buyer may not like it and the money spent is wasted.

Keep it tidy, no clutter and clean. How does it look from the front? Improving its kerb appeal may generate more interest.

RelievedSheff

I wouldn't do either of the jobs you have suggested.

People will want to put their own stamp on the property when they buy it so you will just be wasting money. Make sure the house is clean and tidy and well presented.

Tabieth

I wouldn’t do either of those jobs. Leave it to the new owner to do what they want.

twopenny

No I wouldn't do those jobs either.

It looks clean and spacious, welcome to move into . Having a built in wardrobe is a plus.

People can start living there and change it to suit their lifestyle.

A couple of clean fluffy towels, and bathmat would make it more homely. Similar in kitchen, clean towels, work top and cupboards with a couple of appliances, containers.

I had these touches separate and ready to go out between viewings so no hassle.

wwfwilla

Just to avoid confusion the pictures of the en-suite are from when I moved in. This has since been taken out. The wardrobes etc that now sit in this space are freestanding and not built in.

The option is to either return it to its state how it was in the pictures or to leave the room completely empty but with the necessary connections still intact (as these were never removed).

To summarise, the pictures are NOT how it looks now, but how it looked before.

teaselMay

I'd not refit the en suite. Some folk love an en suite others prefer the extra space, clean and tidy so they can see its potential for their own use is all I'd do.

I might fix the fence though, because without it being higher than 3ft anyone buying with young children or dogs would need to do something to it before being able to let either loose in the garden. Which isn't insurmountable but makes moving in more tricky and so might put people off. Moving with dogs was tricky enough!

thegreenone

Leave the walk in wardrobe as is but make sure the EA knows and states in the sale documents that the connections are there to make it back into an ensuite. Don't waste your money, save it for what you want in your next house.

TheJP

None of what you suggest will increase value, it may make the property more attractive but you wont see the money you put into it again.

Bigphil1474

Personally, I would put a bit of screening up on the 3 foot wall - maybe some willow fencing. You could probably do the whole thing for £100.

In terms of the en suite, agree with everyone else, not worth it. I would leave the pictures handy for any viewings so the potential buyers can see what it could be like if they needed to go that way. For me, the extra space would be more worthwhile than the cheap ensuite.

When we were viewing, the houses we preferred were all pretty much neat and tidy and clean looking places that weren't full of clutter.

Silvertabby

I would think that refitting the en suite with a macerator toilet would be a no-no for a lot of buyers. Leave it as wardrobe space.