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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Or is dh over getting house ready to sell?

258 replies

Shitpipe · 16/03/2021 07:03

Recently found out our extension won't be happening. So we need to move.

House is 1970s semi in popular area. It's a ftb house. We were ftb 15 years ago. Valued at 145.

To get ready to sell dh wants to:
Do new kitchen
New boiler
Laminate floor throughout whole house
Paint all rooms
Get rid of built in bookshelves
New wardrobe doors in our bedroom
Wallpaper hall and landing to hide the plaster crack

I accept new kitchen/boiler. Kitchen is no longer fit for purpose.
I think carpets could have a deep clean. Although they're a bit tufty where cats have had a go.
Agree with paint.

I think he's being over the top. H

OP posts:
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7
CuntyMcBollocks · 16/03/2021 07:51

All of that sounds unnecessary in my opinion. If I were buying your house, I'd definitely get rid of the laminate flooring, change the wallpaper, and remodel the kitchen to my own taste. Give it a good clean, get a new boiler and make it look presentable is all you'd really need to do, as people will always change things to suit their own tastes.

stablefeet · 16/03/2021 07:54

@Nowthereistwo

Get the estate agents round and ask their opinion and price for current condition vs refurbished.

You might find it's not worth the money and hassle

This
Namechangeforthis88 · 16/03/2021 07:54

We viewed a place on Friday evening that had come on the market lunchtime that day. All viewing slots taken. Needs new boiler, total rewire, new kitchen, new bathroom and new carpets throughout. Decor from the 70's.

We registered a note of interest first (Scotland) thing Monday morning and we weren't the first. It will go to a bidding war and sell for over the asking price, definitely.

I'm put off a house with a new kitchen, you pay a premium and it's not your choice, then it's a waste to get the kitchen you actually want.

We've just given the tired looking areas a lick of paint and had a massive de-clutter.

Quartz2208 · 16/03/2021 07:56

How bad is your kitchen and does the house look if it is ready to collapse

Bigpaintinglittlepainting · 16/03/2021 08:03

I suppose he’s just trying to get the best price for the house but it depends on the market in your area. If it’s on fire just put it on as is, if it’s a bit slower you can fix it up a bit. Estate agents aren’t always honest about what’s going on, have a look on Rightmove what your direct competition will be. Houses sell on price, p ice it right and it will sell.

Bagamoyo1 · 16/03/2021 08:04

I wouldn’t even get as far as the kitchen if I was looking around. As soon as I saw the laminate flooring I’d leave!

user1471462428 · 16/03/2021 08:05

I agree with responses about getting an estate agent round. With my last house the estate agent’s all agreed that the kitchen needed to go and we knocked a wall to make a kitchen diner. But most kitchens don’t make a huge difference to resale.
I would heartily disagree over the laminate my friends are of the generation who first time buyers and they are ripping laminate up in every house. Especially grey laminate. I think that trend has had its day. I also would never put hard flooring upstairs!

lottiegarbanzo · 16/03/2021 08:08

Get three estate agents round for valuations. Ask them all how much work you should do before putting it on the market. The answer will depend a lot on the particular market, in that area, at this time, for that type of house.

If I saw new wallpaper, fresh paint and new laminate, I would wonder what you you were hiding. That would be hugely off-putting and tell me I couldn't trust you. He is literally planning to paper over cracks in order to mislead people. Potential buyers (and their surveyors) are not that stupid.

Generally, in a second or third time house, I wouldn't put in a new kitchen, because buyers will have different taste from you and would rather choose their own. In a ftb house with a dilapidated kitchen though, that is different, as people are likely to put all their money into the purchase and have little left for improvements. Choose something very neutral and neat but not so cheap as to be shoddy.

viques · 16/03/2021 08:12

If you were buying a house which would you prefer, a tired kitchen past its best but liveable with until you can redo it to your own style finish and taste , or a brand new kitchen, beautifully done but in a style ,taste and finish which you hate but which you know you are paying for in the asking price so will have to live with for years.

I know which I would choose.

Didicat · 16/03/2021 08:13

When I was a first time buyer we bought a do er uppper as it was all we could afford took us 10years to get it finished saving and then getting things done. This time round I have really struggled to find a house that is both structurally sound. I have a super fussy husband who likes kitchens a particular way but too environmentally friendly to rip out a new one.....

Somuddled · 16/03/2021 08:14

We just bought and were put off by places that clearly had new kitchens put in for the sake of the sale. I don't want a kitchen someone has given not thought too but I also couldn't bring myself to rip out a new kitchen no matter how much I didn't like it. Was much happier to buy somewhere that I could put in my own kitchen once I had the money saved. He is going way over the top with that list of things. De-clutter (then do it two more times, get a storage unit if you must) and then deep clean.

Henio · 16/03/2021 08:17

Don't wallpaper over a plaster crack, either get it repaired or leave it visible so potential buyer can see it needs repairing

Thatwentbadly · 16/03/2021 08:18

@Shitpipe

Going to show him this thread BTW, so don't hold backGrin
But your already sex and age it’s important to him in opinions - if that’s the case he won’t believe MN. Maybe you need to tell the estate agent that your husband is ageist and sexist and please can they send round and old man.
Stuckhere2021 · 16/03/2021 08:19

What @Somuddled said 100%. Unless you are spending ££££s going really high end, it could end up deterring buyers. No one wants to rip out a new kitchen to replace to their likes. You are living in it so while it might need a new kitchen, it’s not like it doesn’t have one.

As long as the price reflects what needs done, it will sell.

DorisLessingsCat · 16/03/2021 08:20

@Shitpipe

I've booked a valuation. He tends to think age and sex makes him an expert. We have many full and Frank exchanges of views.
Better make sure the estate agent is a middle aged man then 🙄
SchadenfreudePersonified · 16/03/2021 08:20

@Shitpipe

He's worried the kitchen will reduce price/ make it slow to sell. I know when we were ftb, we couldn't have afforded a new kitchen.
It really isn't worth revamping your kitchen. I know they say a kitchen sells a house etc but that's only if the buyer has the same taste in kitchens as you - you won't want to spend 000s if you're moving, and a cheaper one is likely to be "meh" anyway (though it may be smarter).

My friend recently moved house and one of the properties she viewed had just had a new kitchen put in it to sell the house. She said, it was obviously fairly expensive but she just didn't like it al all, and would have ended pulling it out anyway. Obviously though, because the vendors had spend £££ on it, they were understandably reluctant to drop the price of the property. SO she bought somewhere different.

Personally I think like you, that a bloody good clean of all the carpets etc and maybe some internal painting to spruce it up would be better.

drumandthebass · 16/03/2021 08:22

I would personally prefer a house that needed a new kitchen, because its unlikely I would ever find a house that has a kitchen exactly the way I want it. Maybe you could compromise on a new boiler as this is an expense that most people wouldn't want as soon as they buy a house.

CeibaTree · 16/03/2021 08:25

@Shitpipe

But the kitchen could well collapse any day now!
What do you mean by collapse - is the room structurally unsound, or are the cabinets falling off the wall? Agree with everyone else, get an estate agent round and ask what they would market it for with a new kitchen vs what they would if it is left as is. On the matter of your husband being so OTT, sounds like there is something else going on - does he even want to sell? Doing all those jobs will take months, or even up to a year if he is planning to do the bulk of them himself.
Bordois · 16/03/2021 08:25

So basically your DH wants to spend money on a kitchen, flooring etc. for the next owner yo get the benefit from. Maybe you could tot up the cost of doing these things and then tell DH to just give that amount of money to the buyers as it amounts to the same thing. Might make him see things differently

Blurp · 16/03/2021 08:27

I'd hate to move into a house with a new kitchen, unless it was really amazing. It would feel wasteful to rip it out, so I'd be stuck with it for 15 years!

Also hate laminate flooring. Kids slip all over it, it's cold and noisy, and it shows up every speck of dust. Carpets much better - spend £100 or so hiring a carpet cleaner and they'll be fine.

Give walls a lick of paint, but don't go beyond that.

I sympathise, OP, as my DH is the same. He'll get something in his head that we "have" to do, despite having no background knowledge or understanding of the thing, and it's always hassle and expensive and pointless.

Wiredforsound · 16/03/2021 08:27

What makes your DH think people like laminate? Lots of people don’t. Make it clean, tidy and habitable instead of investing time, energy, and money in a house you’re not even going to be living in.

roastpotatoesss · 16/03/2021 08:30

I wouldn't buy a house with a brand new kitchen unless it was exactly to my tastes- I wouldn't be able to justify ripping it out but would be stuck with something I didn't like!

IrmaFayLear · 16/03/2021 08:30

Just to go against the grain slightly - an estate agent will be keen to take on your property right now so may well advise you not to undertake any work which may take months.....

However, agree that it depends on area and property. If you live in a hot spot, don't bother so much. If your house is like masses nearby then a bit of a sprucing up will help it along. Otherwise, if it is way worse than similar properties in the same area, it will languish or people will try to get an extreme bargain.

I would just paint and clean. When we sold our last house I went to Carpetland and got their absolute cheapest neutral carpet and did the whole house (which luckily was not large!). It made a huge difference - made the place look a million times cleaner.

VintageStitchers · 16/03/2021 08:31

If it’s a first time buyers type home, you need to work out the Max price that they will sell for in your street/area and get a valuation on what your house in its current condition is likely to fetch. Never aim to get the max price because you’ll be limiting your pool of buyers that way.

It’s best to advertise it in a clean and fair condition, below the max price. A basic no frills new but inexpensive kitchen might help it sell more quickly, but you have to be very clear about the budget for refurbishment and not go a penny beyond that otherwise, you’re throwing your money away.

starfishmummy · 16/03/2021 08:31

When we sold my kafe Dads home a couple of years ago the agent advised us not to bother. No problem selling.