about to try to sell a house - how far would you go re 'staging' it/doing up to sell??

[norkmaiden]

Nightmare time to try to sell, but needs must unfortunately..

So, my question is how much to do to the house before putting it on the market - main Q is about the kitchen, which is a bit tatty (not horrendous, but fraying a bit around the seams iyswim). New kitchen doors is s definite - new appliances? Ours are white, and I'd go for cheapish (??) stainless steel. Probably new worktop and sink too, all for as little outlay as reasonably possible!

ANy suggestions for how far to go with doing up/setting up a house to sell in the current climate?? Thoughts would be appreciated..

[twinsetandpearls]

I wouldn't buy new appliances unless you were taking them with you. We did up my partners kitchen to sell by just painting the cupboards. You will be driven down on your price so need to be wary about spending to sell.

[ClaudiaSchiffer]

I agree with morethan1 and twinset, don't spend where you don't have to, as people will probably try to negotiate your selling price downwards anyway so don't waste money. BUT do make sure your house is spotless and super tidy - get rid of all the extra clutter when you are showing people round. A super tidy and clean house that is inviting and warm will be worth more than a brand new kitchen I reckon.

Have you spoken to your estate agent? I know I got really offended when the agent we used to sell our house described it as "shabby" (HOW RUDE) but looking back he was right and it could have done with a quick lick of paint in places.

[kickassangel]

agents will come round & give you pointers, we've always got them round for a rough idea first, then done whatever they think essential.

having said that, for months our house was perfect, all our junk in the loft. 10 days before we moved out, had someone round at 15 mins notice, i'd already emptied out the loft, spare room etc & they had to clamber over packing boxes etc to see round. still bought it!

[twinsetandpearls]

Yes good point kickassangel we asked our agent what we needed to dp both times we sold.

[lalalonglegs]

I think most house-staging is about spending as little money as possible: clean the kitchen as much as possbile; repaint if possbile, clear surfaces, add a few nice accessories and, if absolutely necessary, put down some replacement flooring but don't go mad.

Smells and lack of light are the big no-nos.

[nkf]

I'd declutter and clean. And lick of paint for the walls where the children have scrawled. No more than that.

[pavlovthecat]

I would say do not buy new appliances. If cupboards are really tatty then replace, if not, just replace the handles - works a treat for freshening up your room.

Repaint walls, change blinds if you can do that cheaply. throw out anything old and dated (or put into storage), and buy new accessories (soap dispenser, plate rack, washing up bowl) organise cupboards as buyers might want to check space situation in kitchen.

Do floor if you can do it cheaply, and if it needs doing.

Make sure the kitchen is spotless - clean the tiles/grouting, the door and woodwork,

For the rest of our house - we repainted the hallway, cheap and light (it was dark, we have not got around to doing it how we want it!), threw out some old tatty furniture, made sure the new duvet set bought for our wedding is on the bed whenever we had viewings, cleaned the carpets, polished the floors, cleaned windows inside and out, put the brightest lights in the wall lights, filled in holes in walls (nail holes etc) and repainted over, took down some of our personal photos (not all, but some as we had lots), and some of our paintings/artwork to minise/allow people to visualise there own stuff). Cleaned all the woodwork. It looks like a new flat!

Also - for me, a bit put off when I look at houses is that 'just cleaned' smell. It always made me wonder what it might be masking. So, I always clean thoroughly every night when I had viewings, and put on some nice oil smells, then did the tidying the day people came round, then the fresh smell would be a vague 'this is how is always is' smell. Do not use raw bleach. It stinks.

Unfortunately, with all this stuff going on, we still did not sell. So, now, we are continuing this upgrading without spending a fortune, replacing light fittings, door handles, the little metal bits on the floor by doors that hold the carpets down, light switches.

[stickylittlefingers]

Definitely have everything as clean as possible. We put as muich stuff as poss into storage to try and make the house look as big and spacious and uncluttered as possible - my plan was to try and make it look like a really nice holiday house, so it wasn't empty, but wasn't overwhelmingly "mine" with all my things in it. But didn't buy anything new. A professional clean might be a good idea, to get things that perhaps you don't notice any more? Oh yes, I also got a very pernickety friend over to tell me what she thought was wrong with the house! We are still friends... just

[LIZS]

Set yourself a budget and prioritise - appliances aren't really worth doing, just make sure they look clean. Maybe a lick of paint in key rooms, a declutter and really good clean, reseal baths/sinks and bleach tired grouting, shine windows and taps, add fresh flowers as and when(Lidl are cheap and last ages), sweep the paths and patio and have some baskets/pots outside the doors.

[pavlovthecat]

Oh, LIZS you just reminded me - you can a pen for kitchen appliances to touch up those little black marks you get after a while. We have some on our fridge and it really makes it look dirty/shabby even though its only 2 years old (DD driving her trike into it a few times!) and I saw this pen thing, I can't remember what it was called - saw it in the range (CDS) /wilkinsons I think...

I do not know how well it works, but I am going to try it out, and if it works, can make appliances look much newer.

[pavlovthecat]

you can buy a pen even

[noddyholder]

Where do you live?

[ChippyMinton]

I wouldn't bother trying to update a tatty kitchen. The most important thing is to make sure it is spotless and in a useable condition. That means de-clutter, deep-clean everything including tops of cupboards, whiten the tile grout, maybe put down some cheap lino, new washing up bowl and tea towels, clear most stuff off the worktops, remove grubby curtains/blinds.

Take the same approach in the bathroom - new shower curtain, bath mat, towels, replace carpet with cheap lino.

When we moved our agent advised the clean and de-clutter option (our garage was full to the rafters with personal stuff, toys, books etc). He said any improvements to a single room would make the rest of the house look tattier.

[frumpygrumpy]

Most people do not share your choice in appliances, new kitchen doors etc and provided the ones that are there work and look reasonable I wouldn't change them.

IMHO you either change everything in a major revamp or you tart up and let the buyers look for potential.

I'd be inclined to strip the kitchen off all your worktop stuff and then scrub it down from top to toe. Take a good look and present it with some carefully laid bowls with fresh fruit, a colourful radio or blender that kind of stuff and entice your viewers with a big smile, some background music and nice, fresh smells.

I think mainly a house is attractive if you can see the corners, don't have to climb over toys, beds fresh and made etc. It doesn't really matter if some of the stuff is old. Think tidy and clear and spacious.

I would love to do this, tis my fetish

[ChippyMinton]

Most important - kerb appeal. Take a critical look at the outside, as you don't want potential buyers put off before they even step inside. So: clear away any clutter and bins, tidy the flower beds, hanging baskets must be in full bloom, paint front foor if necessary. Park car on the road to make the garden look bigger.

And definately stage the house for the agents' photos.

[frumpygrumpy]

And never have kids in the house at viewings (unless there is only one). Best to sit with the sunday papers and let people feel the calm

[frumpygrumpy]

Just imagine the Queen is coming to visit. And will be inspecting with white gloves. Get rid of EVERYTHING!!!! I like sticky's idea about treating it like a holiday house/rental.

Really do wash everything with Flash or something similar. Windows open too. Breathe life through it and it will shine.

[TrillianAstra]

I'll second (or maybe even third) the suggestion that you try to spend as little money as possible ont things that you can't take with you. Everything just needs to look clean and smart and inoffensive, the new people will want to redecprate in their style anyway.

There is something to be said for dressing rooms to make the most of space, so if, for example, you were moveing from a 3 bed house to a 4 bed house, and you currrently used bedroom 3 as a study/junk room it might be worth buying the new bed now and setting up bedroom no3 like a real bedroom.

[nickytwotimes]

I am waiting for a viwer atm. Due at 1pm. Ds has goen to Granny's! Yesterday's didn't show up.

Agree with all the others about making sure the pkace looks spotless. DOn't spend lots of money, just get things looking as fresh as possible, maybe a lick of paint if it is a bit past it. Don't go overboard though because whatever you put in, soemone else will want to take out!

Oh, and get rid of pets if you can. When we sold our last place, I put the guinea pig in the shed for the viewers. SOem people can't stand animals - wierdos.

[TrillianAstra]

Good luck!

[nickytwotimes]

Tahnks TA.
Hopefully it will go better then yesterday!

[badgermonkey]

When we sold our house last year we resealed the bath (the sealant was all grubby before and it was amazing how much better it looked white!) and RUTHLESSLY decluttered. Including dismantling furniture and putting it in the loft/other people's garages (we didn't have one). The house looked much bigger when we were done, and it was a very small house!

[frumpygrumpy]

resealing the bath is a good one. Very effective.

[Sidge]

I really wouldn't do all that in your kitchen - IME many people change the kitchen anyway, within a year or so. I wouldn't change the sink, worktop or doors unless they are really hideous. As long as they are clean and undamaged. I certainly wouldn't buy new appliances unless you were planning to anyway, as viewers know they will be leaving with you.

The things that really mattered to me when I was viewing properies were:

Decent, clean flooring. Manky carpets and damaged floortiles were a big put-off.

Clean, safe windows in good nick - I don't want to buy a new place and have to replace or repair window units.

Neutral, clean bathroom suites. Nothing worse than a rusty, limescaled and stained bath or toilet. Yuk.

Lack of clutter - I know as a buyer you have to look at the potential of a place without the sellers things there, but that is really hard to do if it is chock full of their crap belongings. We viewed a house in which we couldn't even open one of the bedroom doors as it was so full!

Clean clean and clean again - agree with pavlov, not that strong bleach smell but an everyday clean smell. If you have pets clean the carpets - you might not notice their fur or smell but viewers will, especially if they don't have pets. Strong animal smells REALLY put me off a place.

Good luck