How many people would by a minor doer-upper?

[Sleepysleepycoffeecoffee]

I’m really hoping to sell my house next year but am worried it’s not pristine enough to sell quickly. It’s a solid, 1930s detached 3 bed house with 3 receptions, 1.5 bathrooms, garage and large front and back gardens. It is generally tidy and well kept with new bathroom and kitchen in the last 5 years. However, the more I look the more I see it is quite shabby in places. Eg the skirting boards need re-painting, new carpet in hallway and stairs, new blinds and flooring in conservatory, some small marks on wallpaper from where we’ve had decorations up, the doors need re-varnishing. There is no major work to do and it is definitely liveable straight away.
So my question is, would you rather buy a ‘lived in’ house that needs some decorating if the price was very fair to reflect that (and probably a bit cheaper still to make it more appealing) OR would you rather pay more for a show-home style house? I’m thinking the difference might be around £10k but just a complete guess as havent had any valuations yet.
I can’t do all the work that is needed to get it top of its game due to financial reasons and a lack of time (toddler, baby on the way and currently working full time).

Sounds fine, I wouldn't want something that had been freshly decorated as it probably wouldn't be to my taste anyway and I would have paid a premium and still redecorate

I would expect and want to choose my own new carpets/new decor if I moved. I am put off by bland showhome-ness.

This!

Well my current house had all that needing doing when I bought it and more! Didn’t put me off. Things that put me off are more like wrong location, busy road, major structural problems

Don't think I've ever viewed a house that I didn't want to do some work on and it's rare that I see a house that's freshly done that isn't bland or obviously bodged.

Fix anything obviously knackered but don't go overboard.

Thanks everyone, that’s very reassuring so far! I think I’m just fretting about it because I really want to move and worry I’ll be stuck here for years (nothing wrong with the house, it’s just I’ve had some sad personal experiences while here and I’ve slowly fallen out of love with the place - I need a new home!)

I think if you market your house to reflect the need to update its fine. The first house I brought was a repossession and a real wreck! Where I struggle is probate properties or where the sale is needed for care home fees and they are top end prices and the price does not reflect the work required

I would try really hard to freshen up any areas that can be done easily, and that look glaringly obvious.

So from your list, maybe doors and skirting boards (but are they REALLY that bad?).

Newish kitchen and bathroom is great. When you go to market, just focus on decluttering and making sure everything looks clean and unwrinkled (bed linen, towels, rugs, cushions etc). Little things like that will make a huge difference in how it’s perceived - far more than a couple of marks on wallpaper. Honestly.

Also, I definitely prefer to buy houses that don’t have a show home premium - I like to decorate in my own style. As long as it looks clean and is comfortably liveable, I wouldn’t think twice about what blinds you had up!

If you have any flexibility over your price you might be lucky enough to shift it quickly so you can move on to a new, happier home asap. Fingers crossed - do come back and let us know how you get on, sounds as if you’ve been through the mill a bit 💐

It depends and everyone is different. I prefer to buy a bit more of a “project” because I like to have the things I like. I once bought a house with a kitchen I hated but couldn’t justify changing it because it was brand new. Still hated it when we moved out 5 years later!
But then a colleague at work has just bought a new property. He described it as needing a “massive refurb”. I was picturing derelict. What it actually needs (and he described) are a few walls painting and new carpets.
Make sure it’s clean and decluttered and it will sell at the right price.

Every place we have bought has been like this! Husband likes the distraction of fixing minor things like this as a weekend distraction, as long as it doesn't involve replacing all of the skirting boards. That's a never again task from experience...

Show us some pics? I'm nosey.

I am looking for a house like this. Don’t mind decorating. Don’t want extensions and skylights and bifold doors just a good structure.

I don’t mind decorating at all

I don't think cosmetic stuff like painting, carpets puts anyone off if the house is structurally sound

I do think price makes a difference - if it's a £1m house, £1k of work makes no difference really, if it's a £100k house, it might give someone pause.

Needing decorating is not a doer-upper.

I wouldn't want to buy a house that had been freshly done up as it's unlikely to be to my taste!

We sold one like yours - it could have been lived in as it was, done up gradually or done before buyer moved in. We put stuff into storage to declutter, got the carpets cleaned and did the things on a snagging list that were particularly noticeable (marks where stairgates had been, mending broken hinge on kitchen cupboard type stuff). And have it a good clean which got rid of some marks on walls, skirting boards etc.

Decorating and carpets would not put me off at all (unless the house looked very manky, which yours does not sound anything like). I wouldn’t add to your stress now, honestly.

Lessons I’ve learnt from this house is that bathrooms, windows and kitchens will be bigger than expected expenses that I’d need to take into account.

I’d rather have an excuse to buy a new kitchen to my liking / decorate to my own taste than pay for the pleasure for something I don’t like to have to pay again to upgrade it again! So go for it - I think it’s great you’re being realistic to price it to reflect that as well

I would want to decorate the house anyway and whether it needed doing or not wouldn’t make any difference to me. The house sounds great, 1930s houses are highly sought after and I wouldn’t price it too cheaply unless you can’t sell it. Size of rooms, garden and location will set the price. I don’t like show houses as I’d want to put my own mark on a house. The fact that the kitchen and bathroom will be ok, and that there are no structural issues, would be enough for me to go for it.

I wouldn't consider that a doer upper of any scale, nor would I expect the price to reflect any work needing to be done.

I'd say our house was a minor doer upper - old patterned carpets, that textured wallpaper stuff on the walls and ceilings, bathrooms and kitchen very dated but functional and well cared for.

I wouldn't unless a lot more than 10k was taken off the price.

Honestly, what you're describing sounds like a normal house! Perfectly fine to sell as it is.

That sounds entirely normal, not like a ‘doer-upper’ of any kind. I bought a ‘doer-upper’. There were deep dog scratches on every interior door, a leak in the roof of the bay window, the carpets needed to be taken out as they were beyond cleaning, plus it needed to be redecorated throughout.

Cosmetic things are not doer-up... you are EXPECTED to change cosmetic things to your own taste when buying a house.

Doer-ups require 'modernization' so things like rewires, new kitchen, new bathroom, new boiler/heating system, insulation etc... these houses often look dated but its not the 'decor' that make them a doer up. They are habitable and homely just not up to current safety standards and not had updates in a long time.

If you are asking about houses that require actual work they say that it knocks approx. 15% off the value (+ the cost of works) to account for the drop in available market able able to buy a house that needs disruptive works doing.

EXAMPLE

So say a house was £159k value in good condition but is a doer up:

£159,000 - 15% (for market drop) = £135,150
known works needed:
Bathroom = £5,000
New boiler = £2,500
Double glazing = £6,600
New flat roof on small extension = £2,000
= £16,100

£135,150 - £16,100 = market value as a doer up approx. £119,050

You could chance your look starting the listing up to 10% higher at £130,955 but be aware people will offer under using the works or survey as reason.

Nice theory @housethatbuiltme but from what I see for sale the condition is only reducing the asking price 10% at most.
There are so many 1930’s odd houses for sale that need a rewire, kitchen and bathroom, heating system, de artexing, but priced similarly to a new build or renovated property.
It’s a minefield and I can’t help but wonder who is buying these and why.