Preparing a house for sale: what works are reasonable?

First impressions count for a lot in a house sale IMO.
House buying has a strong emotive aspect and if your house doesn't deliver that, then it will struggle to sell.
No one can see structural work but they will see dated bathroom, kitchen, etc.

I think the new heating system and recently installed insulation will be strong selling points.

Estate agents can he very "one size fits all" in their approach.

It may be advantageous to have a dated bathroom and/or kitchen - the viewer might be steered towards imagining how wonderful it would look if it was modernised.

I'm sure you're pricing it accordingly and leaving a margin for decorating expenses.

Tidy up the place and make sure it’s clean but don’t go to too much other bother.

When I was house hunting I was always suspicious of places with fresh paint jobs, I always wondered what the vendor was trying to hide.

If it was me I would paint any room looking poor, patch up any cracks with polyfiller/caulk and that's it. You could go to the expense of putting in a new kitchen and new bathroom and they could be the first thing the potential buyer hates and will throw out. A new poverty spec bathroom would instantly get replaced. I would cut any grass front and back to give an idea of the potential around the house for patio, sheds, etc. €5k is insane, I'd spend €200 on paint and give it a good going over, paint the external wall that meets the street outside if there is one.

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I am putting my house up for sale soon, and had the estate agent over during the week for an appraisal, although 'praise' was in short supply.

Havr only lived in the house for a few years, and most of the work done has been structural — including very extensive works to address some subsidance, insulation, a completely new heating system, and so on. I left most of the superficial structure of the house intact, even down to an avocado-green loo, and a kitchen that hasn't been updated since the 1990s.

The estate agent has suggested changes that I estimate would cost a minimum of €5,000 to implement, to ready the house for sale. I immediately responded that I'm not going to spend money on superficial changes, like painting and landscaping, that will inevitably be undone by the new owner. It's a waste of time and money, when all of my money has already been poured into important structural works that will stand the test of time.

Now I'm starting to doubt myself. I don't want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, but it seems so ridiculous.

What kind of budget (say % of sale price) is appropriate to spend on a house coming up for sale? How much, in your experience, does this affect the sale price?

Although I trust this estate agent, who knows her job better than I do, I'm struggling to believe that spending €5k or more is going to make a material difference.

The most important question here is where is the house. The area alone may be fast moving. I can tell you in Dublin stuff is moving needin 50k spent on it

I sold a house a few years ago.

We repainted everything in cream tones, removed a lot of furniture, and did up the garden.

I don't think it's worth doing up the bathroom or kitchen unless they're actively unpleasant.

Cover a manhole is a good idea.

1. Aesthetically it isn't the best to be looking at a sewer manhole and sniffing the air whilest sipping your aperol.
2. A manhole is asking to be inspected, probably grand but you never know.
3. If I see a manhole in a garden it starts to make me wonder where it lies in relation to a chain of houses if on a terrace, if you're last on the line expect problems to 'flow down' to you.


All of these are just small things but it can all add up.

You've had subsidence correction which you're delighted about, if I heard there were any subsidence issues in the past it's a straight NO from me. Sorry but I've had enough dealings with builders to know they can patch things up to work for a while until their company has disolved for the 100th time and now registered in a relatives name name.

Subsidence + sewer lines is a real headache... just a few inches mvt. can crack a pipe.

Avocado bathroom,, ya you're right if I were moving in I'd be ripping it out and spending >5k . This is another thing that will be "adding up", it might show that the house hasn't been renovated since the 70s... so then there's going to be questions about plumbing and electrics. Might be easy for you to answer.. but still question marks!
If you spent the 5k on a basic cheap makeover then there's no questions and it gives the owner a few years use before getting around to changing it, plus reduces their room to negotiate after they get their valuer in there.
Believe it or not there are keen buyers out there who just want ZERO hassle when moving in, and they are willing to pay to avoid that hassle.
After modernising our first home... believe me when I say I'd love for my tool box and tools to stay in the shed forever.

I know it's a sellers market (depending on location) but you really want more than one bidder. We spent about 2k sprucing our house up (between a small bit of plastering/painting and carpet and I was surprised at how good it looked.

People often forget estate agents are professionals :pac: and they do know a few things having sold a few houses, I doubt they're just telling you because of personal gripes.

When it comes to property I hate to say it but 'lipstick on a pig' actually works. Remember, you are not selling a property you are selling to the hopes and dreams of the next buyer. Always, give the property a good lick before putting on the market. Focus on the superficial stuff as first impressions are everything. Sure they will change the paint on the walls after they move in but that's missing the point.

Bids will probably be going up in 10k, if you can keep one more bidder on the hook for a bid longer it will pay for itself

Giving the place a thorough cleaning and painting it a neutral color and doing some basic landscaping to make the outside and the back garden look nice and tidy are definitely good ideas; as others have noted, first impressions mean a lot when buying a house, and a little sprucing up can have a big impact, even if the buyer will be repainting regardless. It's much easier for potential buyers to picture a spotless freshly painted neutral interior as a blank canvas that can become "their new home" than some dingy place full of fading paint and peeling wallpaper and the detritus of the current owner's life. Those shouldn't be too expensive, a couple grand at most if you're willing to do some of the work yourself.

A new bathroom and kitchen just to sell the place might be a bit pointless, though, especially in this market. As long as the current fixtures and fittings are in good repair, clean, and functional, it should be fine. If they're in really dire shape, though, then you might want to consider some inexpensive replacements just so the place doesn't look like a dump and it's truly a turnkey property for a new buyer.

My own take on this, from current experience selling our house is that anything will sell if priced right, regardless of condition. If the house needs 5k work, then it would probably sell as is for 5k less. Just may take longer. If you're looking for a quick sale get the work done, if not I wouldn't bother. As others have said the new owners will likely change everything or even gut the property depending on age.

Paint it yourself if you can and tidy up inside/outside. A load of paint wont cost too much and leave it as tidy as you can.

Best of luck with sale

K.Hawksworth wrote: »

Maybe I'm naive but this is the first time I've ever heard of subsidence in a Dublin...

Not uncommon what between ancient collapsed culverts and places like Sandymount