Extend and then move or go now?

[ChlamydiaSexPond]

Our house is in a bit of a sorry state. We were meant to replace the shabby conservatory with a large extension last summer but put it off due to Covid. The conservatory is definitely past its best now and is leaking etc. There are a few other jobs that desperately need doing (new kitchen flooring, replace the driveway, garden retaining wall) and we are due to get them all done in July when the build finally starts. The plan was to extend and live here for the foreseeable.
Life has considerably changed this week however and now we will be looking to move.
So, my question... do we go ahead with the extension and market the house as a 4 bed with all the jobs done, or do we sell it as a doer upper with planning permission? I'm leaning towards getting it done as we have a reasonable quote and I think it will increase the selling power, but DH is thinking of just tidying up a bit and marketing it. He is a lazy git though and would do anything to avoid the upheaval!

WWYD?

Ask an estate agent for valuation advice. Al though as a rule of thumb you won't make back what you spend

Doing the leaks and stuff likely to help but extending probably won't

On Love it or List it, they do seem t o get more back than they spend on doing it up - but most seem to then move anyway!

I'd firm up your quotes for doing the work, then get EA valuations for before and after and see what you think. Obviously if you'll barely get a profit after doing it up that's not worth it.

Our previous house needed a new kitchen flooring included. EA said that we can do it up but we will only get the money back. We didn't want the hassle so we put the house on market as is. We sold it to a elderly couple who seemed to have done loads of work on it (we moved half a mile away into a bigger house).

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It sounds like some of the items are necessary rather than cosmetic in particular the retaining wall in the garden. I'd be tempted to do that so that buyers aren't either put off (depending how obvious it is) or chip when it comes up on a survey.

Depends really - we nearly doubled the price of our house by extending and refurbing it but it's a risk and a lot of work and upheaval! I'd probably just move and save the bother. You might want to do work on the next house and I wouldn't advise going through that twice!

As suggested ask an agent. I bought a house, did it up and sold it nine months later. I would have made as much profit if I hadn't done a thing and just resold it as was nine months later. So take into account the hassle, the mess, the likelihood it will cost more snd take longer than builder says. Plus who knows what the market will look like in six months (or whenever). Things are moving now.

I would sell as it is and save building projects for your next house. It's not fun living through building work when you know you are going to be moving anyway. Plus no guarantees that you will break even after the refurb, and lots of people like to buy project houses so they can choose their own decor and layout.

Another suggestion to ask an estate agent - we were advised with our house that adding a bedroom would pay for itself but extending our kitchen wouldn’t. Depends on the type of house, local market etc.

Our building work was stressful and messy and went over budget so it’s not something I’d endure unless it was planning to live with the benefits or it would add substantial value over what you spent on the work.

I would sell it as it is. The days of recouping or flipping are over I think.

And the stress of the work that you will not enjoy will be horrible.

having just bought a house and done a lot of redecorating - painting all rooms, new boilerm new cooker and hob, ripping up carpets downstairs to put in laminate, enlarging fireplace and having chimney done for wood burner, new doors downstairs, etc so no real building work, its been stressful and dirty, eveyrtime i clean there is dust everywhere again 5 minutes later!! I would not want to go through worse than this and not get the benefit of it at the end!! unless of course it will add a lot of profit when you sell which will enable you to buy your dream home

If you are going the get quotes route just add a contingency.there’s 2 builders in our back garden at the moment scratching their heads at the drains and making expensive noises. Had conservatory taken down and extension being built...also more underpinning than was anticipated...and..and...also covid delaying supplies...and we had a local lockdown that delayed things.

In this kind of market in your position I’d clean and sell.