To think some little things make a house look expensive?

I have sold three completely empty homes of deceased parents and other relatives. They've all been empty of all items and completely bare.
They sold quickly because they were priced correctly and there was no onward chain.

When we were selling MIL's house, we had emptied it and magnolia'd the walls so it was clean & uncluttered, but it looked a bit unloved & boring. Despite it being a decent sized three-bed with front & rear gardens, in an area with amenities and good schools, we had had no offers in 3 months. So I spent £100 on plants, towels for the bathrooms, ceramic soap dispensers, new door mats front and back, new lamp shades, and a canvas for the chimney wall. We sold at the next viewing.

I probably did the absolute minimum, but it changed the feel of it from a house needing love to a home with potential.

I think the ability to move in and live comfortably is a big selling point.

as in - we’d like to paint the walls but they’re not offensive for now.

we’d like to redo the bathroom but it looks clean and decent enough for now.

If there’s stuff that needs doing immediately (ie immediate repair work) then that adds to the stress of moving and the immediate cost of moving. So you’ll be able to sell, it’s just that type of buyer will look for a bargain.

in short, if you have a magenta wall, it can’t hurt to paint it magnolia.

Having a clean and clutter free space will allow the buyer to see the available space, and imagine there stuff in there. So I would focus on putting clutter away.

Wash or repaint exterior windowsills on the front, power wash the drive, clean the front door and repaint if needed, put a couple of pots with shrubs or flowers either side… kerb appeal makes a much bigger difference than you think.

If the impression as they drive up is positive, you’re halfway there.

We set aside 1% of the asking price for sprucing the place up and sold in 2 weeks.

Hid the toaster 😂

Every house near me has been refurbished by the new owners regardless of the condition, so I think people look at the location and the square meterage and age/style of the property and not much else.

If the small repairs aren't done, I am going to assume the big ones haven't been done. And if you're sloppy, I will presume you were sloppy working in the house.

@NuNameNuMe - I remember House Doctor with Anne Maurice - she always hid the toaster to make the work surfaces less cluttered. And yes, each room had to show its function. I still try and live.

Well it all depends on your personal taste and what you deem to be classy and elevated.

You've had some really good responses but just to reiterate and add some of my own I've not seen I would;

Declutter - 110% !!

Spotlessly tidy and smelling fresh at every viewing -scented candles, open windows before (providing you don't live near anything smelly!), essential oil based cleaners are nice for leaving a lasting smell purdy and fig are good.

Fresh flowers or healthy plants in a couple of appropriate places - good quality ones

Lights and lamps all on

Heating on to cosey levels in autumn/winter/spring

Before this though I would;

Fix any major and minor maintenance issues - de-mould bathroom grouting and sealant, reseal if necessary, make sure doors don't stick, look at any cracks in the plaster - get them filled and painted

Hide/get rid of any broken furniture

get a Flash magic eraser and go round and give any scrapes on your paint a good buff and clean - same with wood floors if you have

repaint if rooms are looking really tired

Look at your paint choices - anything wild or really specific think about going neutral, if you have any of the dark Farrow and ball esque blues they can probably stay but anything else pick a nice warm neutral / off white - not a grey

Consider white bedding and make sure it's clean on for every viewing

Also think about your garden / outside of your property, again fix any big projects small maintenance issues. Remember curb appeal.

Make sure your gate if you have one is clean and works/doesn't stick.

Consider having upvc cleaned or if you have wood framed windows painted if they are looking tired/flakey

Grass cut, garden tidy - any plants and trees cut back and neat, get rid of anything which looks dead!!! If you're on the market at the mo consider brightening up a dull winter garden with some spring bulbs.

Have a look at the roof - of you're in an area where moss collects consider having it cleaned

Go round with a leaf vac before viewings.

Bring a diffuser in there to use scented oils, and get some vintage stuff too, and fingernail-cutting scissors, this'll make your house look normal, like getting a wooden pestle-&-mortar, microscope kit, binoculars, and a torch. 🥰

Most people are not property developers though, they are looking to buy a home for their family to live in.
I assume you do a full renovation on the shit holes you buy? Why is that, why not leave them as they are, after all a few cushions and nice paint don't make any difference do they...

It's fine. We once bought a house from a couple with toddler twins. There was literally washing hanging on the bannisters and we had to pick our way through toys. It was fine! We still bought the house. Why? Because it was a good price in the catchment for a great school. We knew the laundry and stacking bricks would go with them.....

I shoved excess stuff in the car and the shed!

😂

True, it's like all these houses with dogs. Sometimes they really stink.

This. I'm a property developer-a house can be a total shithole but if it is structurally sound in a good area I care not.

I went to a viewing once and the owner answered the door actually smoking a cigarette. It put me right off before we'd even looked at the house - which stank and the walls and ceiling were covered in yellow stains.

So keep the house fresh and smelling nice!

While I understand those that “only look at the bricks and mortar”, you would be amazed at the number that throw in the ridiculous “we will have to replace the… (kitchen/bathroom)” comment in an attempt to knock £10,00 - £50,000 off the asking price…But, if the fitted spaces look clean, bright and in good condition, prospective buyers will not have any excuse to try to negotiate a price drop if it’s on the market for the going rate.
IME, people these days are going to replace everything, anyway, so if it’s not an obvious doer-upper, you are more likely to get the full asking price.
It amazes me how little thought and investment that some people put into what is often, arguably, their biggest asset - some houses we have looked at had holes in walls and doors kicked off the hinges plus no sign that anything had been kept in good repair, so those were avoided: if they weren’t tackling general maintenance, what might we find with the roof Etc.?

I didn't bother with a house because we couldn't view the main bedroom, they'd agreed a viewing at around 10am when one of the couple had worked nights. They offered to do the viewing in the afternoon but we had something else on.

Their loss.

It might be subconscious for some people.

For us, we hired a storage unit and put all the clutter there. Then bought a nice sofa from Facebook marketplace and matching cushions from a charity shop. This really came through well in the photos. Beds carefully made, use cushions to make the bedding look expensive, look at examples of styling that hotels use. Everything was clean and tidy inside and out. We got professional cleaners in although I thought they didn't do an amazing job so I went over it all again. One thing I forgot was to clean the shower screen properly and you could see that in the photos but only just. Also, make sure the estate agent you are using does good photos, check out how they have photos other houses for guidance. That should be a factor in who you chose. Some photos really make the most of what's on offer while others not taken by a professional make a nice house look crap.

While dodgy wall art and crumpled duvets are obviously not something that are going to make someone refuse to buy an otherwise perfect house, people are often looking at five, six, maybe ten other houses in their price bracket. You don't want ANYTHING, not one single thing to put them off yours, however subliminally. If it comes down to two houses to choose between which are otherwise identical, they are more likely to choose the one which was nicely present with clear space, plain walls and neatly made beds because the overall impression it made was better.

Humans are very easily subliminally affected. How many houses have you been in that have just had 'an atmosphere'? You want to avoid anything at all that might put someone off.

I'm old enough to remember House Doctor with Ann Maurice. As well as making sure your place is uncluttered, clean, fresh smelling etc she always made the rooms show their function. E.g if you have a dining room, make sure it has a table and chairs in it, rather than the washing, a hamster cage and an exercise bike that we all usually keep in there! It was a good show. Wonder if there's reruns showing somewhere.

I agree.
I'm not sure "expensive and classy" will appeal to everyone.
Far too near the " glitzy and tacky" look to be safe.

I have super rich family members and their homes are muddy and full of dog hair.
Dressing a home should emphasise space, light, cleanliness, warmth, functionality. I agree that scruffiness may put seeds of doubt in potential buyers minds about the structure and maintainance of a property.
Clutter needs to be stored away, culled or moved elsewhere. It gives an impression that a house has poor storage capacity and is too small.

Renting storage may sound expensive but it may be crucial to a sale.
I sold my and my mothers home in the same month, both houses had offers within weeks. Dealing with clutter before a move was very helpful.