Planning what to do to house

[RidingMyBike]

We're planning to relocate to a new area in 1-3 years time (timing will depend on if/when I get a job). So, we're planning what needs doing to the house to make it more easily saleable. Childcare costs have dropped a bit now DD is 3 so we can save a little to do things.

It's in a desirable cul-de-sac location where houses rarely come up for sale and we have done a lot to it in the nine years we've owned it - partial new roof, some new double glazing (all windows will have been double or triple glazed within last 12 years), new central heating and boiler, completely rewired, new bathroom, downstairs loo and kitchen. New bigger garage and driveway (off road parking for 3 cars).

There are some cosmetic things - the decor is looking tired as we haven't redecorated for 5-6 years. We're just getting some uneven parquet flooring sorted out. There is no coving in any room at the moment. Does that matter? The bathroom is looking a bit tired but I think a good scrub and a new bath panel would sort that out.

Anything else that will make it look appealing? We really want a quick sale when the times comes as will be relocating to start a new job.

It’s all about having it fresh and clean, all little repair jobs done and not forgetting about any rooms or the outside. Otherwise, good photos and a good write-up to get people through the door.

Thank you! Yep, that's what I thought. I keep having to remind myself that the 'new' bathroom is actually nearly ten years old!

Any paperwork we'll need for the sale that I could chase up now to make things easier when it does become time to sell? I've done FENSA certificates (we didn't get any when we bought the house and I was pleasantly surprised to discover we'd got 8 windows with certificates!).

Also need to do some decluttering and clearing out...

White walls sell.

Neutral colour throughout, dont be painting/wallpapering in loud colours or magnolia.

Unless it's a period property, coving seems to bit a old fashioned now. Yours sounds lovely.

I wouldn’t do anything beyond usual maintenance and ensuring that any redecorating you do is completely nuetral-no bright colours, no wallpaper, no feature walls, no magnolia.

Your house will fall into one of the three categories in buyer's eyes: 1) brand new, freshly renovated; 2) clean, tidy house, ready to move in, no major work required and improvements are possible on a room-by-room basis (nothing is completely trashed and unusable - particularly bathroom or kitchen); 3) needs renovation prior to moving in.

I think you're in category 2 so I'd just stay there. You can make a bigger difference by dropping the price then second guessing what your future buyers might want and fixing that.

I second IlluminatiConfirmed - our flat was in category 2, but the bathroom was pretty tired. We were going to replace it but the estate agent said it probably wouldn't add any more value than we'd spend doing it (it was in full working order, but basic and a bit dated).
We had the walls repainted to freshen up (all white anyway), did some minor repairs and mainly focused on good presentation - decluttered, thorough cleam and fresh flowers (Aldi - £2 a bunch!).

Thank you, this is really helpful!
Yes, I think we'd be in category 2, after a bit of a declutter and a good clean, so that's fine.

It's a 1950s house. The walls are neutral at the mo just showing a bit of wear at corners etc - rose white downstairs and upstairs hallway throughout, and then different colours in bedrooms - ours is almond white, DD's is a v pale blue, as is the spare room, and the study is terracotta, so that will probably want to go lighter. No wallpaper. One small feature wall downstairs which is dark red. So nothing too dramatic to fix.

What about gardens? It's about half a tennis court in size, split between front and back. It's mainly lawn, with borders with perennials and shrubs in, plus a patio with containers. It's great for kids as lawn to play on and securely enclosed. I'm thinking to make sure wooden fences and outdoor furniture are freshly painted, pressure wash patio and make sure borders tidy. Oh and sort out the shed!

Ooh, just thought. Carpets! It was on the list of things to do when we bought and we never got round to it (partly because we just can't face the thought of moving the furniture!). So downstairs is fine as it's either parquet or tiles. Stairs and all bedrooms have a different neutral carpet in each room and some of it is looking raggy at the edges. Ideally I'd have had the same carpet all through upstairs.

I think having it clean and tidy makes a big difference and costs nothing, it also suggests you've taken care of your home.