Getting ready to sell

[Threepio]

Hi all,

Just after some advice. We're looking to upsize and put our flat on the market in the next couple of months.

Decluttering has started but we still need to do more. We're currently disagreeing though on the need to repaint. There are scuff marks on the walls from general living, moving furniture around etc. I think we should repaint before going on the market to make the flat as presentable as possible. My husband thinks we should leave things as they are as new owners will want to repaint anyway.

Having never sold before we're not sure who is right! So those of you who have sold, what would you do?

100% touch up the walls, for a pretty small job it will make the place look a thousand times more presentable.

Hi Op.

I was in the exact same position in November. Decluttered our flat, cleaned it up, but noticed general wear and tear scuff marks on the entrance hallway wall. Also, one of the bathroom tiles was cracked. I had a stack of replacement tiles.

I debated just leaving the wall, and making potential buyers aware that I had spare tiles that I was happy to leave for them. However, I ended up painting the hallway and calling out a tiler to replace the one cracked tile.

Looking back, I would have still had the tile replaced as it was very noticeable and stood out in an otherwise pristine bathroom. If I had my time again, I wouldn't have bothered painting the hallway wall. I don't even think potential buyers really noticed the scuffs, and anyone that did wouldn't have been put off as it's very easily remedied. Most buyers will want to decorate and put their own stamp on their new home.

Hope that helps you. Good luck listing. Hopefully your buyer comes along soon and you find your next home.

We sold our house last year. We de cluttered and made sure any scuffed paint was touched up. We didn’t have any bold patterns anyway so would have been a fairly blank canvas that potential buyers could imagine themselves in. We made sure house was clean and tidy for viewings and sold no problem at all. It’s not worth spending a lot on painting or buying new things. You can do a lot without spending a lot

Paint! It tells anyone viewing the flat that you have taken care of it. Doesn’t matter about your taste or their plans for it. They are looking for signs that the property has been well looked after. It’s like a dripping tap or a pile of leaves in the middle of the lawn. They are tiny clues that you “haven’t bothered”. It’s not to say they’re right to think that but we all pick up on tiny hints to help us decide and you want any viewers to think you have maintained the property well and care about it.

When we bought the house we are in now we did as second visit just to clarify a few bits and pieces. The owners were in the full throes of packing up and I realised that there were quite a lot of marks and scuffs etc. No big deal - to be expected.

When we actually got the keys we turned up to find that they had had all the walls and ceilings painted with a fresh coat of white paint. 😊

Downside was we also realised that the wood stain on the floor had been done around the large rug!

Generally I wouldn't paint unless it's pretty bad as in big patches of scuffs in obvious places. A good clean and declutter is more important

definitely paint- buy dulux trade white in cheap and cover everything in white- will look great in pics and attract more buyers; we realised this rather late and after wasting time for several months then painted and fixed lots of small things that we initially overlooked ( as our EA said dont bother, the buyer will want to do their own thing anyways) that eventually enable us to sell

Depends I think. If quick and easy then just crack on with it. It will pay back in my experience. You need to do a decent job though.

Entrance halls are often very scuffed and grubby looking. A freshen up and removal of acres of shoes and coats etc will make it a thousand times more welcoming and more spacious.

For other areas, if you can touch up without looking patchy then go for it. Otherwise better to completely repaint or scrub the worst off.

In my experience, people want the road with the least trouble. You want a bidding war so a days work and a few gallons of paint can pay back in £000's

We did repaint some areas that had got worn and scuffed, particularly corners - it made a big difference. Think we'd got used to it being marked and had stopped noticing it.

You only get once chance to make a first impression.

Don't just declutter - put your stuff into storage so your contents are minimal. Paint the scuffed walls. Wash down all the skirting boards, glosswork and clean the windows. It makes a HUGE difference.