Is it worth repainting before selling?

[almostautumn]

My house is in good order overall and very presentable, but there are a couple of rooms which noticeably do need a new coat of paint. I would have to pay someone to sort this as I have a huge amount going on right now and just don’t have the time. Do you think it’s worth getting this done before putting the house on the market or not really? Could having immaculately painted rooms add much to the asking price and could it mean we get more interest from buyers, or will it not make much of a difference? I’m just wondering whether to save my pennies or not!

Watching with interest. I’m trying to sell a flat at the moment that is tired and in need of decoration. The estate agents advised not to bother, but it’s not selling and now we are approaching Christmas I’m considering taking it off the market, redecorating and recarpeting and putting it back on the market in the spring.

Our EA advised us to repaint, she said it definitely speeds up the selling process.

Depends on many factors. We were told not to bother with much DIY, just finish anything that had already been started. Houses round here are all about school catchment though.

Our EA agent advised do everything or go on as a renovation job. So if your house is in good condition generally would do it. If it needs new kitchen / bathroom then probably won't make that much difference. Round us done up sells much faster. Have a look at what has sold recently by you on Rightmove and prices. Only thing is people are trying to rush things through now for stamp duty and you might miss that if you redecorate though pushing it to go on now and get through by then.

Also depends what those rooms are and how bad they are - we didn't repaint the 4th bedroom, it was cream but a bit faded or top bedroom, cream but a bit faded. I don't think would have made that much difference. But if its say a bright orange living room then definitely repaint it neutral.

As others have said, living areas need to look fresh and perhaps neutral. We had a dramatic wall colour in a bathroom, but not to everyone’s taste. I painted it a much lighter shade of the same colour. The difference was remarkable and viewers thought it was a newly installed bathroom.

Depends on how the housing market is around I guess. We went on the market end of August and our house had a few hairline cracks and a couple of rooms hadn't been painted since the house was built 5 years ago but the estate agent said not to bother repainting as overall the house was well presented.

We sold within 2 weeks! Our buyers have been round a few times and either haven't noticed the cracks or don't care cause they're planning to redecorate anyway!

Another question - should I redecorate before getting the estate agent round for a valuation? Or will the agent maybe put a couple of grand onto the asking price if I tell them it will be painted before going onto the market?

I don't think it will make any difference to the valuation. I'ld get it done before the photos but you can have valuation now if you want.

I painted my house in Scotland before selling and sold it in a week. I think a fresh, clean look gives a good impression. Make sure any DIY jobs are completed to a good standard.
Shop around for decorators. My son got a quote for sitting room and dining room and got £2,000 and £150 a day. He went with the latter and she did a great job.