Or is dh over getting house ready to sell?

[Shitpipe]

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’s talking about a tired kitchen @MrsKoala. A tired kitchen won’t affect a mortgage valuation one way or the other.

I had planned to redo my flat bathroom, kitchen and repaint before selling. agent told me not to - not worth the money and the hassle as people often like to put their own stamp on it anyway. A done up flat went on the same week as my non done up one. Mine went first (and for what i hear sold for more) than the done up one. guess people didn't like the specific taste but as it had been done recently wouldn't feel right redoing it.

We're the Chester end of n Wales, if that makes a difference. A55 5 minutes away.

Echoing what everyone else has said here: when house hunting we were actively put off by houses with new kitchens, as it felt like we were just paying a premium for the previous owner to choose a kitchen we didn't want. Rarely looked around the rest of the house properly after spotting that, seemed price would be skewed. Would much, much rather live in somewhere in not-perfect condition and gradually make it the way that worked for us.

Declutter, clean, and I bet it'll sell like hotcakes.

The kitchen you put in a new worktop so it's more useable but anyone buying will know it needs replacing fairly quickly.

You would never ever get your money back on a new kitchen. Plus it increases how much you hand over to the estate agent!

@MrsKoala

I’m so surprised at this thread. *@Alsohuman* it must be different here then. Because one of the main issues that mean ftb aren’t able to do do the work even if willing is the cost and mortgage lenders. A ftb could be approved of a mortgage for £150k and may have a 10% deposit, but Lenders will only give what they value the property at, so if they value a property requiring work at £110k then the borrowers can only have that amount. They may have the £11k as a 10% deposit but the leftover £4K isn’t going to cover the £30k of work necessary.

The first flat I bought had to be liveable in and done because, even though I’d seen better fixer uppers I could only borrow the valuation amount and there’s no way I’d be able to save £20k in the next 5 years I was going to live there.

I’m currently buying a flat for £80k. It needs £20k work and then will be valued at £120-130k. It was on for 6 months and had had loads of ftb look but they couldn’t or wouldn’t do the work required.

This is how property developers make money, especially in family homes, because not many people with kids want to live in a building site. I’ve just finished a loft conversion which cost £40k but has added double that in value.

In my city, developed properties tend to languish, often for a year or more. The slightly scruffy ones are gone within days, if they're in the right place.

@Alsohuman

OP’s talking about a tired kitchen *@MrsKoala*. A tired kitchen won’t affect a mortgage valuation one way or the other.

Sorry @Alsohuman I wasn’t explaining my point properly. What I meant was just something to take into consideration which may put ftb off with having to do expensive work, is that if the op reduces the price accordingly (as pp have sensibly suggested), then the buyers can only borrow that amount, even if they have knocked off £20k the ftb buyers still don’t have that £20k left over to use for the kitchen. If it were buyers further up the ladder they may have the money from a sale of a previous property to spend, but ftb often have the deposit and costs. Lenders won’t lend more than say 90% of the property value which could mean the ftb buyers can’t do the work, no matter how reduced the property is due to work required, because they simply don’t have £20k. But if they saw something that had a decent kitchen for £20k more, the mortgage company would lend them the extra as it was part of the value of the property. Therefore the ftb would have a kitchen in this case - even if it wasn’t exactly their taste.

Not sure if that makes sense. it was just something to take into consideration on the ftb front. Now I’m further up the ladder I’d definitely be able to take on projects, but as a ftb I couldn’t because I could only borrow what the property was valued at and had nothing left to do the work with and was too stretched to save.

I've only moved into owned houses a couple of times, in all cases the kitchen was acceptable but certain elements were just irritating about both of them. A brand new kitchen that isn't well planned is just like living in a rental with a kitchen that just doesn't work. I'd prefer to buy a cheap IKEA kitchen planned by me (having saved from the difference between rent and mortgage for a few months) than have to put up with a 10k+ shiny new kitchen with a layout that irritates me every time I dig in the corner cupboard or have to walk across the room because the fridge freezer slot was too narrow for our fridge freezer...

I'd rather have a basic bathroom and barely adequate for mortgage co kitchen as an IKEA kitchen would be affordable fairly quickly as coming from unfurnished rented you already have white goods and basic furniture.

Ah I see your DH wants to almost minimal property developer it - so pretend as if he had bought it and is trying to make a profit forgetting he is selling his own house

No, to be fair, we know we're going to make hardly anything in it. We bought at the peak in 2006 so might make 20.

Kitchen we were looking at is 1200.

We're not going to have any money to improve our next place.

Have you looked at zoopla/rightmove to see what the high and low valuations are for your type of house in that area? Maybe give you some ideas how you could add value if that’s what you need for your next property. Or whether it’s best to keep your money. And as pp said chat to a few estate agents, they are pretty honest/helpful if you lay it on the line.

Putting a new kitchen in will cost a fortune and you will not get that back. Your EA will market the property accordingly.

I would invite the EA over to see what they think.

I would just clean it all up and sell

As FTBs a couple of years ago one of the reasons we offered right at the top of our (limited) budget was that this place had a brand new kitchen and it meant that was a cost we wouldn't have to worry about for years and years. It's not really to our taste but it's basically fine and means we can prioritise the (many) other things we want to do with the place.

On the other hand if there was laminate flooring I would be mentally reducing my offer in order to be able to afford to rip it out straight away. I hate that stuff. Maybe to a buy to let landlord it might be an attraction but anyone just looking to make an easy profit isn't going to be making you a good offer.

I also think laminate isn't a great draw. I don't like it myself and would take it out.
Ditto a new kitchen. It's unlikely to be to my choice or spec.
Just clean and tidy up. Make it presentable.

Was £1200 a typo for a new kitchen? For fitting too? Did you mean £12000? If not then it might be worth thinking about if your current kitchen is really terrible and it’s a really plain design that most people would prefer to what you already have. Agree with others re laminate. It’s not desirable for most people.

@Shitpipe

No, to be fair, we know we're going to make hardly anything in it. We bought at the peak in 2006 so might make 20.

Kitchen we were looking at is 1200.

I’d do it... because people (see how many have said it on here) think kitchens cost 10k +

Especially if you’d be fitting it yourselves

B&q do kitchens for 1200. The one we were going to get was 3500. Friends did one for 1000 and fitted it themselves. I don't think I know anyone who's ever spent 10 on a kitchen.

Was going to say don't bother with the kitchen, but, yes if it's actually falling apart and you can really get a tidy one for £1200 (that seems amazingly cheap!) go for it, but leave the other stuff. Mayyyybe the plaster crack because you say it's just cosmetic but that could make people worry it's a structural issue. But other than that why put yourself through the stress and expense for what will probably be minimal profit?

@Shitpipe

B&q do kitchens for 1200. The one we were going to get was 3500. Friends did one for 1000 and fitted it themselves. I don't think I know anyone who's ever spent 10 on a kitchen.

We did 20 years ago. It needs redoing now and will probably cost at least double that. Truly, you’re just throwing your money away on a cheap kitchen. Same with laminate.

By the time you've done all that the stamp duty will be back in place, just sell

Kitchen

Other bits of kitchen.

Kitchen was here when we moved in.

This will out me to anyone who's seen my houseLiving room. It's a mess cos, work.
This, apart from the kitchen, is basically the whole ground floor.

That horrible carpet was meant to be got rid of, but we never did the kitchen ,as we were going to move or extend.