Would needing a new kitchen put you off house

[Jumpinginwithbothfeet]

I have recently put my house on the market. It needs a new kitchen, though is perfectly usable and structurally sound. It has been priced accordingly but this seems to be putting people off. Would you buy a house in these circumstances or should I try and find the money to get it sorted?

if the kitchen works no drawer fronts falling off or not closing properly
no hinges broken the appliances work and fit and it's clean with no broken tiles it is fine;
what actually needs sorting? if something is wrong fix it if very tired re paint walls but the cost of a new kitchen will rarely be recuperated but it might make a sale easier

if you replace it may not be to someone elses taste anyway, some estate agents think even if 5 years old a kitchen needs replacing others say unless not functional don't replace as even expensive new kitchens get ripped out as don't fit new buyers wishes

I’d much rather something I could update to my taste in a year or two. I don’t want to pay extra for a brand new kitchen that I don’t like but would feel obliged to keep because redoing it would be so wasteful.
If there are any glaring issues, solve those if you can, but don’t change the kitchen.

I actively preferred houses that needed new kitchens put in. I didn't like the idea of paying extra for someone else's kitchen, when I'd want to put in my own.

Me no; but a kitchen replacement can be significant work with the kitchen out of action for several weeks depending on size and level of renovation, so I imagine the thought of the upheaval may put some families off. Do the agent’s photos make it clear the kitchen is tired and needs replacing or have they been touched up to make it look a lot nicer than it really is? I saw a lot of the latter when I was last house hunting, you may be getting people through the door who really aren’t up for a project and are let down.

Nope, wouldn't put me off at all, as long as it was functioning OK. In all my househunting, I've never actually viewed a house and thought 'ooh, I love this kitchen, I'll keep it', but I have thought 'oh, this kitchen seems quite new, but I hate it and I'll feel like I'm throwing money out replacing it with something I like' - the 2nd scenario would put me off buying tbh.

God no we bought a home that had been renovated top to bottom all brand new. I loathe the bathroom, tiled in beige floor to ceiling. BUT fittings top of the range. OH hates kitchen cream shiny again top of the range.

We both wish we had an excuse to gut and replace

Tbh a new, cheap, kitchen or one that had been done recently but isn't to my taste would put me off more. Much better to buy knowing it needs replacing than feel you can't or shouldn't rip something out because its new.

However, IME whenever people give a reason for not being interested in a house, they mean price, even if you think you've priced accordingly, they don't.

-They mean they'd expect it to be cheaper as the kitchen needs replacing.

• The living room /4th bedroom is too small means they'd expect more house for the money

• Concerns about the neighbouring pub/school/main road mean it's too expensive for the location

• Lack of parking means it's not worth the asking price without parking

I think the pictures show its quite tired. The worktop needs replacing as has rotted slightly behind she sink and there are scuffs and marks on the cupboards and drawers. A couple of tiles are loose and they are very dated. It is valued a lot less than a similar property in the same area which does not need work though so had hoped the saving would outweigh the work

No, better to put it on with the kitchen needing doing and this reflected in the price. That way the buyer can put in the kitchen they actually want. I would avoid houses with a brand new kitchen because it would feel too wasteful to rip it out and put in one that I wanted.

I'd be delighted. A house I saw with a smart new kitchen was off-putting as I'd feel bad about getting rid of it and yet it wasn't anything like what I wanted.

I guess less people want to refurbish a house but you will find your buyer as long as the price is fair.

If the layout of the kitchen works well, or at least couldn't be functionally improved, I would keep it, and do any little improvements that might help it present better (a lick of paint perhaps?).

If the layout can be improved, it's got to be worth considering, but you almost certainly won't get the full cost back.

The question is really whether it would make it easier to sell, in your area, for the type of house it is. That's where local research (Rightmove) is a necessary part of your game plan.

Thanks everyone had started to worry it would be a major issue. Hopefully someone will come along soon x

I've always preferred a house that needs updating as I like to make it my own. We've never bought a house that needs nothing doing to it. Every house we've bought has needed a full refurbishment.

I’d be fine with it but my DC are older so we could cope with camp style meals and takeaway for a couple of weeks while we put a new kitchen in. I think I would have been less keen when my DC were really little, fussy eaters and I was exhausted a lot of the time.

Out of interest how have you reflected the required work in the asking price?

I'd rather buy a house with an old kitchen, so that I can replace it with exactly what I like.

That said the current kitchen would need to be functional and clean.

No.

A cheaply done new kitchen with poor layout would though.

It is a tricky one. All those saying they would prefer an older kitchen often mean that they want to 'add the value' to the house themselves and also install the exact kitchen they want as an extra bonus. When it comes to adding value then there is often some potential to make a profit and add more value to the house price than they spend.

It is definitely reflected in the price I have looked around to compare similar properties in the area

But by how much? Replacing a kitchen costs much more than the DIY shows would have you believe IME and then you need to factor in the upheaval.

It wouldn't, but you need to make sure the EA is messaging strongly to clients about it being reflected in the price and make sure they are targeting the right people to come and have a look around. Because what you want is someone with a budget £10k over your asking price and what you don't want if people thinking they've found a bargain, only to realise they can't afford to do the kitchen.

The EA needs to have examples up their sleeve of other, more expensive properties to show what it would cost if the kitchen was done.

I'd actually really like this, but it will limit your pool of potential purchasers, because it won't work for anyone looking for a cheap complete project and it won't work for anyone how wants something they can walk in to.

However, it only needs to work for one person, so I think it sounds fine.

Actually, tbf, thinking about what it cost me to get a new bathroom, a kitchen is probably more than £10k? I've no idea.

OP, how big is the house and how much have you allowed?

I'd rather have a kitchen that needs replacing than a new kitchen I don't like and want to replace

As long as the price reflects that

It wouldn’t put me off unless it was literally falling to bits. As long as it was clean it wouldn’t bother me as I would live with it until I could afford to replace it.

Nope. We bought the house because it ticked all the important boxes. A kitchen isn't a deal breaker in my eyes. We did it to our taste when we were able to - ten years after buying the place.