Is it worth filling cracks before selling?

[IfIGoThereWillBeTrouble]

I’ve just moved in with my DP (into his house) so about to put my house on the market. I’ve never sold a house before, but I want to get it on the market asap so I’m not paying for both houses.

Whilst emptying the house, I have noticed 4 long cracks in the plaster in various places. Ought I fill the cracks before I get the estate agents round? (They are definitely just in the plaster, not structural, and a survey will show that.)

It’s a one bed house on a popular 80s housing estate. My DP says that the house is likely to be bought as a BTL. He says there’s no need to fill the cracks as a LL wouldn’t be bothered, they would decorate it as soon and they buy it and get it nice for a tenant. He says put it on the market as it is.

I’m concerned that the cracks would put people off, but equally concerned that if I did fill the cracks and you could still tell there had been cracks, people would worry about how bad the cracks had been…..and that would put them off too

If I fill the cracks, I would have to cover the filler with a tester pot (so you’d notice the different colour paint and realise a crack had been filled) or I’d have to paint the whole house. (Due to the layout of the house and location of cracks, I would have to paint the whole house. )

I don’t want to paint the whole house, I don’t have the time/money/inclination/skill to do it. Plus, painting the walls will make the woodwork look bad, so all the skirting boards/architraves/doors would need painting, which is more time/money/energy etc.

As it’s only a one bed, it will also appeal to first time buyers who might be put off but then again they might want to decorate it to the own tastes anyway, so it would be a waste of time repainting the house if the new owners are going to paint it anyway.

The house will be empty when it goes in the market so there won’t be any strategically placed furniture to hide the cracks!

Aside from the cracks, there are a lot of picture hooks in the walls. Ought I remove them and fill in the holes? I could paint over the holes with a tester pot as I think people wouldn’t be suspicious of the change in paint colour if it’s obvious it was a hole from a picture hook.

Do you have a picture of these cracks?

This is one

Fill the cracks. Paint the house if you have to, worth it to avoid sales falling through?

This one is the width of the slanty bit above you as you go down stairs. I’ve tried to do a long shot and a close up

Its only worth doing if you are going to do it properly - so you would need to paint the whole area. If you try to sell as is you will just need to more open to offers. Even though you say the cracks dont mean anything untoward buyers wont know that and may be put off buying.

Last one. This is the whole height of the wall and is exactly where a solid wall joins a stud wall.

I would fill the cracks. A repaint will help to sell the house anyway, and compared to the cost of not selling (even for a month or two) will be cost-effective when offset against the cost of your mortgage or any reduction buyers may ask for.

I wouldn't sell the house empty
You get lower offers that way

Fill and paint
if the house it’s otherwise in good condition, great location and a very good price I may consider it
but it would put the house lower on the list for me if I go and there are cracks and holes all over

I’d fill and paint.

I would fill the cracks and paint the house, if there is no furniture, the cracks, picture hook marks and scuffs will really show up. It won’t take long or cost a huge amount to put a coat of paint on walls in an empty house. I had my mums three bed semi painted throughout in two days for a few hundred pounds before the tenant moved in.

I would fill and paint. I would spend a week doing any small jobs to make a house look better for selling.

Fill the cracks and paint white/magnolia.

The landlord will thank you for it as they can then just repaint individual walls as needed.

I will be honest, these would make me wary and probably will many, especially ftbs.
I thought you mean some hairline cracks like you can get on plaster when new and dries out or even in hot summers.

So I would fill them and paint or prepare for proper deep in survey.

It’s the only way it will stay clean and tidy for viewings!

Those look like the cracks my friends who live in new builds have after a year or so which is partly why they left their interiors painted white.

Some are long due to the architecture of individual rooms but actually they are very shallow.

They are just filled and painted over. They filled it themselves if the developer was a large one, or got someone, if their developer was a small one, to fill them.

Lots of not lived in houses are dressed with furniture even though no-one lives in them.

After a nightmare with FTB thinking plaster cracks were going to make the house fall down and wanting 20k off at the 11th hour I filled and painted over with tester pots. Mine were mainly lintel cracks above doors and one on the landing slant bit, like yours I put a picture on that as well! They weren’t perfect but they looked ok, the house needed redecorating anyway so I scuffed some of them up a bit!

Off the point but is it wise to sell if you aren't married? What pot is the money going into?

Agree it’s better not to sell empty. It doesn’t matter (too much) if it’s a bit messy.

If it’s empty it gives the impression that the person is desperate to sell and really needs to get rid of it. Empty houses always look a bit sad and neglected too.

They are considerably bigger than what I had on new walls so, while I wouldn't think the house would fall down (and try to knock 20k off! 😱), I would think the bastards would keep coming back or just a start of an issue.
Also, this isn't new house. With new house you expect settling etc.

Thanks for your responses. I’ve decided to get a couple of quotes to repaint the walls…..but when the quotes arrive, I might well end up going to B&Q and getting some white emulsion and doing it myself!

@megletthesecond When I have sold my house, I’m using the equity to buy half of my partner’s house.