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Original poster

Do we have to repaint if we want to sell?

26 replies

brokenkettle · 03/03/2021 09:33

If you were buying a house, would you expect all the rooms to be newly painted/decorated?

Just wondering what to do about our house, which we're hopefully selling soon. It's all painted in neutral colours already but has some hairline cracks and marks on the walls. Can't just do touch-ups in all cases as the paint on the walls no longer matches the paint in the pot Grin. It's all superficial work that would need done.

Wondering if we can avoid the stress and hassle of completely repainting and filling in cracks... Lazy, yes, but selling and buying is stressful enough. I wouldn't expect a home I bought to have pristine decor, but wondering what others think?

OP posts:
overwork · 03/03/2021 09:41

Nope, but I'd be painting it colours that suit me anyway so it would be a waste of your time

stealthninjamum · 03/03/2021 09:42

Have you tested the paint on the walls? I have the same neutral colour in most room and about once a year go round rooms touching up cracks or dirty spots. I would test it on a bit behind a sofa and let it dry. Last year I redid the wood in my spare room as that was yellow but just touched up a few spots of emulsion. It looks great now.

LittleOverwhelmed · 03/03/2021 09:42

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

HumourReplacementTherapy · 03/03/2021 10:29

No, definitely not in this market. There's a serious lack of properties for sale, it won't make a jot of difference ( round here anyway.....)

minipie · 03/03/2021 10:34

Honestly it depends on whether you are trying to sell your house as “immaculate” and newly done up. In some markets you can get a premium for a house that looks recently “done” - usually with new kitchen bathrooms etc too - and Instagram level styled.

If you’re not aiming for this level I wouldn’t bother as people will expect to do some redecorating. I would just deal with any sizeable cracks that might worry people.

BramStoker · 03/03/2021 10:42

No I would not expect all rooms to have been painted recently unless the house has been marketed as freshly renovated/ decorated

The only reason you might want to consider painting is if you have rooms painted in very strong/dark colours as these can be off putting for some people

DespairingHomeowner · 03/03/2021 11:12

Agree with @BramStoker.

There are pros & cons:

  • pros obvious, less hassle for buyers, more neutrel/appealling
  • cons - it can look like you might have painted over damp etc/hiding something

If neutrel & hairline cracks - doesn't sound a big deal. You may be able to wash some marks off (with water or v dilute fairy solution)

If you have trouble selling the house, then I would do this before re-marketing. I didn't repaint my place for my recent sale as it was in decent condition already, but I did repaint 1 wall to fill in & then cover hairline cracks

minipie · 03/03/2021 11:13

Oh just to mention magic sponge is amazing for getting marks off paintwork

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 03/03/2021 11:15

I am repainting to sell, because the paint is 5 years old, has a fair few marks, and I need to cover children’s drawings.

If it’s in decent condition though, I wouldn’t.

Bluntness100 · 03/03/2021 11:17

No, I don’t think anyone expects this, but if it no longer matches the paint in the pot then it means it’s been a long time since it was done, so it will look old, tired and a bit dirty, as such that will affect the price.

Clearly a home with clean fresh decor is much more appealing than one which looks tired and in need of a freshen up. But that doesn’t mean anyone expects a home to be freshly decorated. People buy doer uppers regularly.

Original poster
brokenkettle · 03/03/2021 11:26

Thanks all, this is really helpful! I can feel the stress dissolving already Smile

We've tested paint on the walls - some still matches, so that's not a big deal for touch-ups, but not all matches or we don't know the exact shade that was used in each room.

Will have a look at magic sponge to see if it might help with some scribbles on one wall... Not sure potential buyers would be able to overlook that particular piece of children's artwork...

OP posts:
imyournextdoorneighbour · 03/03/2021 11:30

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!

ineedaholidayandwine · 03/03/2021 11:34

@imyournextdoorneighbour

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!
They always look better in photos. My house looks fab in photos, but if you go round you notice the odd mark from where pictures etc have marked the wall, fluffs in the carpet where the cat pulled it etc
Original poster
brokenkettle · 03/03/2021 11:37

@imyournextdoorneighbour

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!
This is what got me worried! Plus many of the houses we've viewed have been almost pristine, apart from the ones which are being sold due to the previous owner having passed away...
OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 03/03/2021 11:38

@imyournextdoorneighbour

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!
Can you post a link to your area, becayse that’s unusual. Most homes don’t look like show homes, although I guess it’s all about perspective.

Sadly pics usually make homes look better than they are. They can look pristine but when you go in, you can see they are old, worn and tired inside.

Bluntness100 · 03/03/2021 11:39

Plus many of the houses we've viewed have been almost pristine

Were you looking at new builds? Or very expensive properties? Or, and I mean this politely, did they seem pristine simply in comparison to yours?

justanotherneighinparadise · 03/03/2021 11:40

Nope. I would enjoy a neutral palette but it wouldn’t phase me at all if I knew we needed to decorate. I’d expect it to be honest.

ThePricklySheep · 03/03/2021 11:41

Do they just look better because they’re super tidy for photos?

Original poster
brokenkettle · 03/03/2021 11:56

@Bluntness100

Plus many of the houses we've viewed have been almost pristine

Were you looking at new builds? Or very expensive properties? Or, and I mean this politely, did they seem pristine simply in comparison to yours?

No new builds, but to be fair, some of the houses weren't being lived in during the viewing period, so maybe that was a factor, plus decluttering. Maybe I'm getting worried over nothing! Grin
OP posts:
KleineDracheKokosnuss · 03/03/2021 12:11

@imyournextdoorneighbour

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!
Photo magic. The house we are buying has smaller rooms than indicated in the photos due to careful angling. The rooms look brighter as the lights are on and it’s very very tidy.

Not that I care as I’m going to immediately put in a stud wall and repaint!

Africa2go · 03/03/2021 12:20

I'm going against the grain here and would say yes. I think marked paintwork and hairline cracks shout "lazy" as you've said yourself, and it would make me wonder what other (maybe more serious) stuff you've left / not sorted out. I'd want to paint myself when I moved in, but I'd approach your house maybe a bit more hesitantly, make a lower offer to account for hidden problems.

Original poster
brokenkettle · 03/03/2021 12:36

@Africa2go

I'm going against the grain here and would say yes. I think marked paintwork and hairline cracks shout "lazy" as you've said yourself, and it would make me wonder what other (maybe more serious) stuff you've left / not sorted out. I'd want to paint myself when I moved in, but I'd approach your house maybe a bit more hesitantly, make a lower offer to account for hidden problems.
Good point. However, when we bought this house, the sellers covered up serious problems with paint! Home report/survey said there may be a small amount of damp, but a couple months after moving in, one room was completely uninhabitable due to damp and mould that had only been superficially addressed. Hard to trust sellers on any basis, it seems! (We have since properly fixed the damp!)
OP posts:
Fireflygal · 03/03/2021 13:36

I wouldn't paint but a scruffy house is off putting. Most people can see past superficial work but some potential buyers can't.

Definitely clean up where possible. Magic sponge really does work

Notyetthere · 03/03/2021 15:24

@imyournextdoorneighbour

If the general consensus is 'no' how come the vast majority of houses I see on Right Move in our area look like bloody show homes? I am stressing out as I feel we should decorate the whole house before we put it on the market!
When we sold our house las summer, it looked so good in the photos I almost didn't recognise it. We did touch up the paint in places, filled cracks and painted the hallway as that's where all the scuffs were.
Jarstastic · 04/03/2021 01:27

I would repaint. It always looks better. It’s not like it’s installing a new kitchen.

Houses are emotional purchases. Some people can’t see past a house where the vendors are bit mucky and would look much better with a deep clean. I guess it’s like that old quote (is it from maya angelou?) people remember how you made them feel, not what you said. It’s about how the viewers felt.