Selling a Rental Property

Donie75

Hi,
I have a mid-terrace house that I lived in for 5 years and then rented for 9 years. I now live 250km away so it is difficult to manage. The house is worth considerably less than I paid for it but at least I have some equity in it. I'm hoping to maximise my return and I'm looking for some advise.
I have just taken back possession of the house after my tenants moved out.
The house is very tired although it is only 16-17 years old. To maximise my return I am going to
1. Do a deep clean
2. Paint the interior
3. Replace the upstairs carpets as they are very poor
4. Fix doors and windows that need attention. The front door is PVC but the coating has flaked off so I'm going to get it painted.
5. Tidy up the back garden and paint the fences.
I am budgeting €2,500-4,000k to get it all sorted.

The décor is okay but all the architraves, skirting boards and doors are varnished pine. Should I consider painting them a more modern colour like grey or white?
The tiles in the kitchen and upstairs bathroom are a bit outdated. Should I leave them as they are or look at replacing them?
There are two of the same houses for sale in the estate and both are decorated to a very high standard. They are advertised at €245k and €250k. I will be getting an auctioneer in to value the house but what price should I be looking at? I was thinking €235k

Has anyone been in a similar situation selling an ex rental?

cruizer101

Chances are whoever moves in is going to want to put their own stamp on it as such so I wouldn't put too much into it.
Deep clean and fresh lick of neutral color paint makes sense.
Replace carpet, I'm not so sure, maybe hire one of those carpet cleaners and see how you can get it looking. Then the new owners can put in the new carpet they want.
The tiles if they are just a bit outdated I would probably leave.

my3cents

Its a house whats being an ex rental got to do with it?

spurious

Other than a good clean, I wouldn't be spending a lot on it. The new owners will want it their own way anyway.

Baby01032012

my3cents wrote: »

Its a house whats being an ex rental got to do with it?

Well a house that has been rented especially for 9 years will probably not have been looked after as well as an owner occupied house.

Mitzy

I'm in a similar position to you OP except my house has been utterly destroyed by the previous tenants.
I got a local auctioneer out to advise what works are going to give me a return as you can easy start pumping money and time in that will not make any difference to the selling price at the end of the day.
Paint refresh & a deep clean is all I would do for now.

Donie75

Thanks for the feedback, I’ve decided to get a cleaning company in to do a deep clean. They do it for around €250-300 for a very extensive clean.
Then the carpets upstairs are destroyed so I’ll replace with cheap bedroom carpet. Then one coat of paint on walls and ceilings and a tidy up of the garden.

JJJackal

Donie75 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, I’ve decided to get a cleaning company in to do a deep clean. They do it for around €250-300 for a very extensive clean.
Then the carpets upstairs are destroyed so I’ll replace with cheap bedroom carpet. Then one coat of paint on walls and ceilings and a tidy up of the garden.

I would paint your front door too - first impressions and all that. Prob not cost much to do

the_syco

Donie75 wrote: »

1. Do a deep clean
2. Paint the interior
3. Replace the upstairs carpets as they are very poor
4. Fix doors and windows that need attention. The front door is PVC but the coating has flaked off so I'm going to get it painted.
5. Tidy up the back garden and paint the fences.
I am budgeting €2,500-4,000k to get it all sorted.

Remove the carpets. If the floorboards are varnished, leave them as is.

Someone I know got a house recently. They replaced the carpets.

Look at replacing the front door, for perhaps €200