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Original poster

Which things would put you off a house most?

107 replies

blinkowl · 30/04/2018 00:25

If you were a family looking to buy?

  • kitchen needing redoing pretty much immediately
  • no shower
  • drive not very attractive (OLD!)
  • carpets rather than floorboards
  • woodchip in kitchen & front room (but not the dining room or anywhere else)

Trying to decide where to spend a bit of money before selling!

The house will attract families - it's a solidly build 1930s ex-council 3 bed semi, near decent state primaries & secondary. Possibly those with not a lot of spare cash as it's in the cheaper part of town!

OP posts:
ShotsFired · 30/04/2018 17:21

@blinkowl I'll tell you one thing that has been standing out like a sore thumb on my recent nosying about some local houses - crappy shed and fence paint.

They all have these nice green lawns and attractive pave areas but the woodwork just looks so shoddy. For the sake of £30 and a couple of hours, it would add a nice finish (if applicable to your place)

Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:21

We're in a good position. Our garden is significantly smaller than our neighbours on this road, which affects the value as it's a family house.
Also it's not extended outwards or upwards unlike many neighbours. And the decor isn't pristine.

Consequently, it's literally the cheapest house around.

This works in our favour. Looking at Rightmove, the lowest priced houses in our area are four at £265K.

I'd be delighted with £220K for ours (we paid £150K including improvements, 5 years ago).

We're in an area with a choice of excellent schools. If it was on the market now, ours would be the ONLY house in the area for people who are looking for something less than £250K+.

OP posts:
Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:23

@ShotsFired, the fences are new, but the shed ... well ... good point, thanks!

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Shiftymake · 30/04/2018 17:28

Dark rooms, need the light
Carpets!!

Els1e · 30/04/2018 17:31

The woodchip would make me think twice. Can be a cover up for dodgy walls

JenBarber · 30/04/2018 17:36

None of what you've put in the OP.

My big no-nos are damp and water metres.

Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:45

Oh, I didn't think to add water meter to the list! We have a water meter.

I think most people round here do, the water board were pretty pushy about installing them.

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Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:48

shelves on the wall (means lots of holes to fill and if couple with wood chip would make me thing a plasterer is needed)

That's interesting. We have a single floating shelf in the living room. Should we remove and fill the holes? (Wouldn't be hard - the shelf does look nice IMO though!)

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RallyAnnie · 30/04/2018 17:53

I've learned the hard way that houses needing cosmetic modernisation are sometimes left that way because they really need fundamental stuff doing "behind the scenes".

Example: we bought a house with an old kitchen (like from the 1970s) and found out that it didn't have an isolated cooker socket. Which we couldn't have on our existing fuse box so needed a new consumer unit. And walls chiselled out for cables and floorboards lifted. And and and!

So if a job hasn't been done I now worry about why. No shower could mean not enough water pressure. Old kitchen could mean the walls won't cope with the tiles being taken off.

Others might be braver. I'm a bit battle-hardened.

Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:55

@SleepingStandingUp

kitchen needing redoing pretty much immediately - from a functional or aesthetic perspective?

Define functional?! We've lived with it, but never intended to. There were other things that were a greater priority as it was a wreck, but it's a shabby, falling apart 70s kitchen with one missing cupboard door. Not retro, just really rubbish!

Range oven was great when we bought it, second hand, but only half of it is working now and it looks shabby also.

When we left our last place we did a kitchen half the size for only about £1K by buying wisely from places tradespeople go to, not from kitchen design places. (We did get some slate for the floor for free though, that helped!)

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Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 17:56

No shower could mean not enough water pressure.

Spot on that's exactly what it means. It would be a bit of a faff to sort.

Kitchen didn't have a cooker socket when we moved in, but it does now.

OP posts:
halfwitpicker · 30/04/2018 17:57

No shower would be a no no.

Littlepond · 30/04/2018 17:58

Kitchen would put me off. We are looking to move at the moment and there’s have been two houses I liked but the kitchens were awful and required a lot of work immediately so we didn’t put an offer in on either due to that.

halfwitpicker · 30/04/2018 17:58

I'd try and sell as is. Be transparent.

Original poster
blinkowl · 30/04/2018 18:45

Maybe its knowing what sort of person would be attracted to your property. Young family?

Yes, young family, spot on.

They'll be first time buyers (or first house at least). Can't afford most houses in this town. Willing to compromise on garden & bathroom size so they can get a foot on the ladder with a reasonable size house in a nice part of town, near good schools.

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AhNowTed · 30/04/2018 18:52

1930's so presumably solidly built.

None of these would put me off as long as their was room to reinstate the bath, and the house was functional while we did it up to our taste.

I'd pick a solid 30s house over a new build any day. They tend to have bigger gardens a well.

BarbaraOcumbungles · 30/04/2018 19:01

Non of that would put me off really as it’s all fixable.

I wouldn’t buy a house that had had all its original features removed.

Or a house that had been done by a property developer as every one I’ve seen has been bland as fuck and I’d rather a house with some personality.

Or a house with a small or overlooked garden.

Or no drive!

Furano · 30/04/2018 19:07

Don’t do anything on your list. Price to sell and let a keen young couple ‘put their stamp’ on it as a bit of a do-er-upper.

Ikeameatballs · 30/04/2018 19:13

The shower would bother me the most.....although dare I say it but prospective buyers won’t know that the hot water system is the issue preventing them from installing one unless you tell them.....

allthatmalarkey · 30/04/2018 21:38

Ask the estate agent this question. And they should tell you the answer in terms of 1. Will you get your money back and 2. Will it increase the interest in your property.

HisBetterHalf · 01/05/2018 07:40

*kitchen needing redoing pretty much immediately

  • no shower
  • drive not very attractive (OLD!)
  • carpets rather than floorboards
  • woodchip in kitchen & front room *

kitchen and drive would make me think kerching and put me off, unless I was deliberately buying a doer upper. Carpets can be removed so that wouldnt put me off (unless they stink, heavily stained, flea infested etc). Woodchip would also make me think twice, have had to remove this in a property and is a nightmare (unless you can afford to get someone to do it for you)

HTH

AgathaF · 01/05/2018 08:16

None of it would put me off, but I've learnt from years of buying and selling houses that people are fussy, don't have a lot of imagination and want 'done'. You're selling to the bottom end of the market, the very people who are probably unlikely to have spare cash for a new kitchen and shower.

What can you do for minimal spend to make it look more saleable now? You say the decor is tatty - can you go round with the white paint and make it look fresher and cleaner? Are the carpets reasonably modern, and if so, would they look better for a professional clean? Can you change the taps in the bathroom to one with a shower head attachment, or just get a cheap electric shower put in? I know you said the water pressure needs dealing with, but buyers won't know that, and an electric shower might perform better than you expect. Would it be possible to replace the kitchen cupboard doors, or paint them, or even take them away (if they are really bad) and put country style curtains up over the cupboards? How bad is the driveway - would gravelling it make it look significantly better?

borntobequiet · 01/05/2018 08:22

None of your issues would put me off if the price and location were right. Clean, tidy, declutter, maybe a lick of paint, some flowers in pots in the garden and price to sell.

SlothMama · 01/05/2018 08:42

Damp and dodgy looking neighbours would put me off, I don't care if it's judgy I don't want bad neighbours again!

MissCherryCakeyBun · 01/05/2018 08:55

We are currently house hunting in ernest and the only thing that's is a huge no for me is a ground floor bathroom....as long as everything is as clean as it can be and usable and the price reflects what needs to be done I would consider it.
As for a shower? In the grand scheme of the costs of moving house popping a powershower on a wall above a bath is nothing. If there is a problem with the water pressure now that should be investigated as if that wasn't declared to me I would be a bit pissed off tho it should be picked up both when on a second viewing and on the survey. But you to be honest about that and why it's low pressure.
Good lucks with your sale and moving house xx