What things sell a house/increase value of a house

[penberrh]

Just that really.

Both of my parents passed away recently. :(

At some point I will need to put their house on the market. It is in need of renovation (kitchen, bathroom both 20-30 years old. needs decorating; carpets need replacing) and various circumstances mean I need to maximise the selling value.

What enhances the selling value, and what isn't worth bothering with? I know nothing about this sort of stuff.

the cost of doing a decent renovation is unlikely to be recouped unless you can do the work yourself

That really depends on the property. When we sold my mother's house, it was habitable, but dated throughout. Wallpaper and carpets were old fashioned, woodwork painting was faded/chipped, some of the windows were starting to rot. Kitchen and bathroom were OK but nowhere near modern standards.

We cleared it out, got it professionally cleaned and put it on the market as a blank canvass in "as is" condition. The highest offer we got after 6 months was just £105k.

So, we took it off the market and "did it up". We didn't do anything ourselves except organise the trades. Got a few replacement uPVC windows and doors, new carpets throughout, decorated throughout, new kitchen and bathroom, new boiler and partly rewired. Total cost was just under £20k.

We put it on the market at £160k and sold for £150k, so we got £45k more for it, having cost us £20k, so we made a "profit" of £25k by renovating it ourselves.

Get valued and sell yourself and save in fees

Market it as in desperate need of TLC and great potential for anyone with vision, put your own stamp on home, don’t buy someone else’s taste get a bargain and your own dream home etc

Many photographs

Ah, sorry about your parents.

Is the house in a desirable area?
Is the house desirable but in need of run of the mill updating?
Is the house damp?
Does it need major works? New roof? New windows?

If it's in a desirable location and in itself the house is desirable I'd do the bare minimum. Tidy garden. Minimum furniture. Maybe a lick of paint.

If it's worse, I'd rip out all the carpets, remove all furniture and market it for its potential. And maybe get planning permission for an extension/loft conversion whatever.

If you could make a significant amount of money by spending a whack of money in the first place, renovate it to the highest spec. Sell as a luxury home that's ready to go.

Look at zooola and right move to see what's selling in the area and for how much.

Kazyhoward when did you renovate and sell?

Kazyhoward when did you renovate and sell?

2010

Double glazing might well turn you a profit if you can get it fitted Jan/Feb when glaziers are short of work, and if it's currently single glazed.
A word of warning. Our FENSA certificate wasn't issued until about 6 months after the work was done. There was no problem with the glaziers or the glazing; it's just that FENSA were slow with the paperwork.
I don't know if we were unlucky or if they have speeded up since then (2014).

It’s in a desirable area and I think will sell no problem- it’s in a popular village in a good plot that’s hard to come by. I’ve already had offers from acquaintances! There is some cash left in the estate which we could renovate with. We’re not bothered about it selling quickly, just maximising the profit from it for my brother. Planning permission is a good idea as there is room to extend.

I'd be inclined to do little more than take out all possessions, furniture and carpets so that the bare bones are what's left. Then the buyers imagination can see whatever they want to! It's probably not worth doing a refurb. Just be well versed on what comparable properties nearby are going for so that nobody can pull a fast one in you.

Sorry for your loss Penberrh It's horrible sorting out stuff after people have died.
DB and I sold DP's bungalow a few years ago, the couple who bought it pulled it down and built another house on the land

A house with planning permission to extend will be more desirable than one without

If you get plans to extend, then be careful about renovation. If walls are coming down or there are substantial changes internally, all the renovation might be a waste of time and money.

The figures quoted above of £20,000 are not realistic unless you are doing all the work. Nothing is cheap about renovation and why bother if a new owner extends anyway?

If you do get an architect to see it, consider pulling it down and starting again. I know this sounds dramatic, but around me, it’s the best way to get what you want and then the new houses are extended after they are built to get round planning restrictions. So do get advice. If your house is of particular architectural merit, then this might not be a good idea and an extension would be better.

When you sell, freshen it up. Make the garden neat and tidy and ensure anything obviously broken or not working is fixed.

I'd make sure it is spotlessly clean and has no serious structural problems like subsidence, damp or wood rot. Then sell as is. A cheap new kitchen won't increase the value as people will want to put their own in. My parents sold their house easily despite Brexit and it was really in a poor state but had loads of original features. We just made sure it was empty and clean.

Spotlessly clean and if it needs it (lurid walls etc) get a quick cheap coat of off-white paint. Even if the carpets are old patterned ones likely to stay over the sale, get them professionally cleaned as the smell of mustiness is so off putting.

OP I am going through similar. My DF passed away last year, he lived in his home since 1986 and while he renewed the roof and windows two years ago, very little else was done. It has a very old kitchen, bathroom and no heating. We could spend ££ doing it up but local EA has advised there are plenty developers out there atm and tbh we would find it too difficult emotionally to refurbish the home we grew up in. Good luck to you OP