Selling family home, should we renovate first?

[Honestandraw]

We have our grandparents home up for sale, it’s been up a month or two and we’ve dropped the price 10k but there’s little interest.

We know it needs renovation but are now unsure whether to do some of the work ourselves to make it more appealing or try and sell as it is. It will make a beautiful family home once done.

We aren’t sure if the market is just flat / wrong time of year or it’s the need for modernisation that is off putting. We feel the price should be about right. Any thoughts?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86508258#/?channel=RES_BUY

I've literally just moved into a house that was owned by an elderly lady who passed away. We were aware of the work needing done before we viewed it. When we viewed it the person's furniture etc were all still in the house. I agree with the poster who said it feels quite sad viewing the house with the deceased person's belongings and furniture still there. When we moved in it had all been cleared out just leaving carpets, curtains and blinds. I commented to my husband that I actually looked a lot nicer regardless of the 80s decor. At the most I would clear all the furniture and maybe replace the carpets with cheap neutral ones.

I would just flip it as is and make it clear to the agent you’re open to offers, esp from chain free buyers. I agree with pp that doing bits around the edges won’t disguise the fact that it’s dated. However if the bathroom and kitchen are functional there are people who would be prepared to just live with it and do it bit by bit. It’s a well proportioned house and the road looks nice.

The market is v bad but I think there’s too much of the old owners personality visible in it. The old-person chairs beds and carpets do kinda shout ‘someone died here recently’ 🙈 v sorry

I would take off market, get rid of the most patterned carpets and replace with something cheap, paint the walls white and have minimal furniture woth more up to date dressing. The sofa and beds could have modern Ikea throws. Then remarket in Feb or March.

I think you have to make it look like someone could live there for a few months while they line up trades to renovate. Not everyone has somewhere else to stay while they do that.

So I'd change the carpets in the bathrooms to light coloured lino and clear out everything from the main bathroom that isn't a fixture including the shower curtain. All the curtains and nets could probably go too and the two grey armchairs in the sitting room.

Remodeling looks like it would require completely changing layout, knocking down walls etc, much of which may not be to someone else's taste. Personally I think the only people who do buy houses like this are the ones who can visualise the potential so that wouldn't be a huge worry. I would sit tight and wait for a better market personally.

I'd probably leave the curtains but remove the nets. Net curtains say "an old person lived here recently" more than almost anything. Bring in as much light and view as the house can do. The house is nice, and we're downsizing. But Port Talbot........... no, I have driven through it.

As the furniture is dated as well as the carpets, if it's not shifting I think I'd be tempted to empty it of furniture/rugs/mats/any curtains that are dark in colour or fussy in pattern, and recarpet any patterned carpets with plain light ones. It wouldn't cost a lot and would give people a better idea of the large size of the rooms. The walls are generally light and plain, which is good because it brings out the good light rooms of that period of house very well, so the only bit I might be tempted to redecorate would be the patterned bits in the kitchen. Just to plain light colored walls.
I'd be selling it on space and light. The bathroom suite colour isn't good, but we were advised with our last place that most people like to redo bathrooms anyway so won't pay extra for anything you put in. Though admittedly ours were white, not that colour. That room would only be improved if you did the whole thing, tiling and all, and that's expensive. Absolutely get rid of the pink mats in there, though, they swear at the suite colour and make it look much worse. (That tiling is known as 'chicken-vein'- we found it in a house we bought.)

I really wouldn't go white. It's so 'landlord' and can look very chilly, bare and cheap if you have no furniture in there, and IMO that furniture needs to be gone. Most of the walls are fine as they are. They're light and plain, that's enough for a house that will be redecorated anyway by the new owners.

The house is on the bay side, away from the town and the steel works. It’s in a nice area with a lot of good housing around it with access to a lot of village type amenities / shops and schools. We will take on board the advice about depersonalising it. We don’t think it’s worth re-doing a lot of things in hindsight as any new buyer will want to do things their way.

I know the area a bit but not well enough to know what the property market is like and who is likely to buy this home. The agent should be able to advise. Do young families want to live here? Could they afford to buy the house AND do the reno? Or is it likely to be a property developer?

Either way I would definitely empty out a lot of the personal knickknacks and probably get rid of ALL the contents and furniture. To me, the old person contents are off putting. Who wants to see disability aids and body sponges? Anyone who buys it is going to do a full renovation - you are not trying to sell them a lifestyle, you are selling them the bare bones of what could be a lovely family home in the nicer bit of Port Talbot. I wouldn't bother to do anything else; it's going to get torn apart as soon as it sells.

Most people will make a decision wherever to view on pictures rather than description but as others have commented, rather than selling points, your description reads as a list of everything which needs to be changed!

If there is a lovely view of Swansea Bay, where is the photo? The pictures of the lawned part of the garden are awful.

Market it as a blank canvas in a great location with loads of space and great views.

This absolutely. You could present this house much better without spending anything. Get rid of flouncy bedspreads and allmobility aids, loose half the furniture int he lounge etc etc.

Include photos of views.

The market is not flat, its falling quickly. You should probably consider a much more significant price reduction.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-000-wiped-off-average-000100367.html

It wouldn't bother me, but I can't comment on price for the area. It might be too expensive.

This house was originally listed at £650k and I felt it too expensive (ours didn't require anywhere near as much work, despite being a money pit) and we bought for less than that last year.

There will be someone who wants the house, it looks a great size - just needs someone with a bit of vision to look around!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138244733#/?channel=RES_BUY

Although I said basics: neutral carpet, empty out, maybe cheap bathroom suite,we have always bought doer uppers, I could always "visualise", the end product. DH, originally not quite so much, but he had only had a new property with his first wife. We even did our own survey, and as long as the properties weren't riddled with mould, damp,woodworm,rot,we were happy. We're not property developers, just ordinary people on small budgets.

We did the same with my mum & dad’s house. Removed everything personal and used the nicest bits of furniture they owned to stage it for sale. It needed new carpets, decoration throughout and quite a few other bits and pieces doing, but I just cleaned the carpets and left it at that.

I looked at other houses in the street that were nicely done and listed it for enough less that someone would see it as an affordable project. We sold it in a month for asking price.

I would definitely want to see pictures of the view and the garden. I am not sure it is the right house for a 'walkthrough' video - and I would also prefer to see a proper (2-D) floor plan. I agree it would be good to remove personal items and I would put modern bedding on. I'd want to feel I could live there for a bit even if it needs renovation. I also agree the listing reads like a list of things you don't want to pay for. No need to mention the artex or carpets. I would rather see words like 'well-maintained', 'light' and 'spacious'. I am sorry for your loss.

How did you arrive at the sale price? It’s currently listed for £5k less than a similar property (in much better decorative order) sold for earlier in the year - so you started at £5k above that?