Improvements before selling house

Firblog

Hi, OH says she's going to sell her house in 5 years time (when she retires), what would people advise she do to the house to improve sale value? Could make improvements over the next couple of years..


Obvious ones are



1. Garden? It a bit wild weeds rushes & mossy (.5 acre), Steepish Bank out back with grass/weeds/moss growing on it. Would spending €€€ on landscaping / getting a lawn improve value?



2. Paint. Has never been painted, has been quoted 3K+ to clean & paint, should she do it? Would it improve offers by more than that do ppl think?


Any other ideas, stuff that could be tweaked/freshened up & would improve value would be appreciated.


Cheers

antoinolachtnai

It really depends on the market.

I would ask the local estate agent. He or she will most likely be happy to advise even if the sale is a few years away.

Harry Palmr

I'd think very carefully about sinking 1000's into a place when the market is suggestive of tightening supply and therefore prices being firm and buyers anxious. Mind you in 5 years things could look different again, I'd not spend money too soon in any event for that reason unless you want to do it for yourself.

Which part of the world are you in?

ted1

Get a robo mower to keep the grass cut snd looking well.

A bit of pain on the walls. No need to pay 3.5k a handyman will do it for cheap. 50 euro a room /100 a day. Remember it only needs to look well while it’s being shown.

If it’s cluttered remove furniture, if the curtains are old replace with cheap new ones.

Give the carpets a good clean. If toilet seat is a of stick on a new one

Gael23

Good clean, paint and tidy up the garden.

Peregrinus

Gael23 wrote: »

Good clean, paint and tidy up the garden.

. . . but if she's not looking to sell for another five years, I wouldn't be rushing to do the job now.

zerosugarbuzz

Could you not both just paint the house together? How can the house have never been painted?

The J Stands for Jay

If the exterior has never been painted, I'd think it should be done. Makes the house look.more ready to move in. If it's unpainted with an awful looking garden, it just looks unfinished

PhoenixParker

I'd probably try to do a section of the garden to give a usable low maintenance outdoor patio/bbq/hanging out space. No need to do the whole space, but enough of a patch to comfortably sit around outside in a spot that gets a bit of sun and the rest left in such a way that it doesn't need thinking about.

I'd also paint the house.

5 years is a fair bit of time, so spending the money will give some enjoyment even without selling.

handlemaster

Firblog wrote: »

Hi, OH says she's going to sell her house in 5 years time (when she retires), what would people advise she do to the house to improve sale value? Could make improvements over the next couple of years..


Obvious ones are



1. Garden? It a bit wild weeds rushes & mossy (.5 acre), Steepish Bank out back with grass/weeds/moss growing on it. Would spending €€€ on landscaping / getting a lawn improve value?



2. Paint. Has never been painted, has been quoted 3K+ to clean & paint, should she do it? Would it improve offers by more than that do ppl think?


Any other ideas, stuff that could be tweaked/freshened up & would improve value would be appreciated.


Cheers

wait until you are going to sell then do all the work at once , if you dont mind the living like it is up until then.

Claw Hammer

Firblog wrote: »

Hi, OH says she's going to sell her house in 5 years time (when she retires), what would people advise she do to the house to improve sale value? Could make improvements over the next couple of years..


Obvious ones are



1. Garden? It a bit wild weeds rushes & mossy (.5 acre), Steepish Bank out back with grass/weeds/moss growing on it. Would spending €€€ on landscaping / getting a lawn improve value?



2. Paint. Has never been painted, has been quoted 3K+ to clean & paint, should she do it? Would it improve offers by more than that do ppl think?


Any other ideas, stuff that could be tweaked/freshened up & would improve value would be appreciated.


Cheers

what you're talking about is basic maintenance rather than improvement. Improvement would mean adding an extension or similar. The garden should be put in order in the house Painted. When it is time to go on the market the agent will advise on presentation/staging.

When we were purchasing if we saw a house with nothing done to the garden or signs that the houses had not been maintained, the first thought was if the seller has not done basic maintenance like the garden or painting then are there other hidden maintenance that has not been done and could lead to problems.

Firblog

Yeah, outside never been painted, inside has been well painted and maintained. Will prob get outside done year before selling. May post in gardening section for advice on what to do with the steep bank, prob be handy enough to get someone to level & reseed main garden area. What about solar panels, would ppl think they'd add more value than they'd cost to install? Would you pay more for a house with them?

Dubhurler4

I think a house that’s presented well is always more likely to sell quicker. Even if the market goes a bit south and you still want to sell, then it’s more important that you present the house as best as possible. I think the majority of buyers only want to do cosmetic work to a house they buy e.g. maybe paint some rooms, fitted furniture etc.
I’d focus on the garden first as that might take a year or 2 to get it looking right if you need to clear it off, plant grass seeds, maybe a few plants. You want buyers to be able to imagine themselves in your house and garden.
You could do the external painting and general cleanup closer to going to market.

awec

When you say the outside has never been painted, do you mean that it's still just the unpainted render, or it was painted and she has just never done it while she's owned it?

If it's the former I'd leave it. Blank canvas for new owner.

brisan

Kerb appeal .gardens ,kitchen and bathrooms
They are what sell a house
Does not have to be expensive once it looks clean and fresh

the_syco

Firblog wrote: »

1. Garden? It a bit wild weeds rushes & mossy (.5 acre), Steepish Bank out back with grass/weeds/moss growing on it. Would spending €€€ on landscaping / getting a lawn improve value?

With a garden like that, I'd wonder what sort of damp issues the house has?

Firblog

No damp issues at all, garden slopes down away from the house, and rushes and moss down nearer the bottom - 60ft from house.

badboyblast

Everything you are talking about is standard enough stuff, you need to get that half an acre level and get the garden looking mint. Paint the place yourselves.

Create a list of what needs to be done and start marking items off as you are doing it. Renting equipment for the weekend is relatively cheap.

Now is the time to be asking friends and family to help while people are quiet. Get the heavy lifting done over the next 12 months and after that then its just maintaining a standard.

Check pinterest and other websites for cheap ideas and create space inside.
To save time paint Everything white. No cutting in . No messing and the place will be clean.

Check out adverts and done deal to get rid of unwanted furniture and also these sites are great places to pick up garden furniture etc etc, dont pay for skips to dump your items when you can advertise as free collection on adverts, I have been suprised what people have collected from me.

Speak to some local charities to see if they need any furniture etc as they sometimes kit out people houses who are less well off.