What is and isn't worth doing before I put my house on the market?!

[JohnnyMarr]

I'm planning on selling my house in the spring, and would really appreciate some advice on what is and isn't worth doing before I put it on the market.

Internally it's fine, but should I freshen up the paint work? Any "staging" tips or other general advice?

The outside definitely needs a bit of tlc, but I'm unsure what's particularly important and what isn't! I'm thinking of pressure washing the path, new front gate, some pots and fairy lights to pretty things up a bit, anything else?

I've also just had a quote for a bit over 2K to repair two chimneys and completely repoint a third one - is it worth getting this done, or should I just leave it to the potential buyers and expect to knock a bit off the asking price?

As you can see, I'm averagely clueless, so any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Usually, for structural stuff like the repainting of the chimney, you would end up knocking more off the price than it would cost you to fix the issue. Also, it will put off buyers as it looks like the house has not been maintained. Shop around for quotes though.

As far as the cosmetics, unless you are going to paint everything a nondescript colour like magnolia, your taste will inevitably not be someone else's. People these days seem to lack the vision to see past what is there currently. I would be tempted to do this unless it then means doing all the woodwork. Fresh wall paint often shows up old wood gloss. A good clean of the walls and paintwork will probably do.

Get rid of all clutter as clutter makes the place smaller.

Put toast on and coffee before viewings so there is just a hint of it in the air. Makes the places feel welcoming and will hide pet smells. I'd also hire a carpet cleaner and freshen the carpets.

It depends how much you need to make off it. If you need full market value, in this buyers market, you’ll want to repaint the whole house (if scruffy), declutter, and other minor works. Once you get going it’s not too tricky and brightens everything up. It really is worth spending £5k to get a quick sale with a good offer.

If your house is very dated or scruffy, and you don’t want to do much work, then you should keep as it is and price accordingly, selling as a doer upper.

Bare in mind that less people want to take in expensive renovations now so it isn’t a selling point that it needs work, you’ll need to price your house less than other local equivalents to get it sold.

It can depend a lot on the house and local market, so I'd ask each EA who comes round to quote.

I would do the chimney. Make sure the boiler has been serviced.
Everything needs to be immaculately clean
Most people who want to renovate want to choose kitchens bathrooms and paint/wall paper not spend money on structural stuff.

Do the chimney work as will show care towards the house and help with pricing. Do not put up fairy lights - they're chavvy. Defo clean patio/front, some nice pots, ensure gate is in good working order and make it as tidy as possible. The outside is first impression.

Declutter
Deep clean
Fix anything that’s obviously broken/peeling etc - if a fairly small job
Then declutter some more

As for spending more substantial amounts - this is only worth it if you want to be able to sell your house as immaculate, fully modernised etc and if this is realistic for your house. If new paint and a few accessories will get you to this point then it may be worth it. If your house isn’t going to be in this category anyway then no point shelling out.

I would go into each room and complete a list of everything that needs to be done/fixed

I would do the work on the chimneys as it will show care

Ultimately staging is a waste of time. If it’s the right house at the right price for a buyer, they will buy it. The lack of fresh flowers, or smell of toast of coffee etc isn’t going to put them off.

It depends how much you need to make off it. If you need full market value, in this buyers market, you’ll want to repaint the whole house (if scruffy), declutter, and other minor works. Once you get going it’s not too tricky and brightens everything up. It really is worth spending £5k to get a quick sale with a good offer.

I agree. We sold last year and spent less than this but repainted a room, turned two studies into bedrooms and generally gave the place a freshen up. We sold quickly and for a good price.

Declutter.

That means put away most ornaments and anything cluttering worktops.

Try to clear worktops in the kitchen apart from obvious things like a coffee machine, toaster, food processor.

I always think white bedlinen looks best so I'd invest in white duvet covers etc and maybe one cushion. Look online at how to 'stage' a bed- neat cover, pillows plumped and on top of the duvet, etc.

If you have kids, gather up all their toys and hide them away.

Put your clothes away in the bedrooms. Declutter dressing table or chests of drawers.

Take towels out of the bathroom unless they are brand new and laundered.

Don't have manky flannels, toothbrushes, old soap and a zillion shower or bath products all over the place.

Do not have your bottle of bleach by the loo or a mucky loo brush.

I would tidy up and clean the front with some pots and then concentrate on inside.

Declutter, touch up and clean.

I wouldn't have thought it would be worth it with the chimneys. If this comes up at survey the buyer will reduce the offer.

The smell of coffee and toast would annoy me.

I've sold last year and bought and these are my thoughts - declutter, I started packing beforehand to make a real difference.

Weeded the front and put new flowers in the pots and hanging baskets. Made sure the back garden looked lovely.

Made sure the bed quilts were perfect.

Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more. Don't forget windows and skirting boards.

We also got the EPC done, updated the electrics, had the boiler serviced.

As far as staging goes, take photos of each room now, and look carefully and critically in the photos for visible clutter. Sometimes you'll see stuff in a photo that you won't see with your naked eye.

Look under beds, on top of wardrobes, on counters, on chests of drawers, in bathrooms, stuff lying around in rooms, stuff that seems to be bursting out of its assigned space (toys, coats, stuffed animals), and office space that looks like a hurricane blew through it.

Start now to get rid of at least a quarter of what is now in your house - extra clothes, old footwear, outerwear you no longer use, kitchen stuff you never use, old toys.
Make sure nothing is visible poking out from under beds.

Put at least half of remaining toys and books into storage boxes - if you have a garage or garden shed, that might be a good place to stow storage boxes.

If there is children's play equipment in downstairs rooms (play kitchens, storage units, etc) move that out of sight either permanently until you sell or just for the day when the estate agent photos will be taken. Ditto high chairs, children's tables, art spaces in reception rooms. If you have a dedicated playroom, it's fine to leave stuff there.

Take down family photos and pack away.
Reduce knick knacks.

Check carpeting for stains and worn patches.
Make sure bedding is nice looking - pale duvets are a plus.
Make sure curtains or blinds are not dated or gloomy looking.
Make sure furniture isn't showing signs of destruction by animals or children.

Touching up paint is a good idea.
Power washing the drive and sprucing up the appearance of the front and back gardens is a good idea.
I'd maybe hold off on the chimney work.

Deal with pet smells by cleaning, not masking - ask someone in to give their honest opinion on whether your house smells.
If you have something like a gerbil or hamster or Guinea pig cage, your house will smell of straw. Dogs and cat boxes will leave a lingering odour too.

Get carpets professionally cleaned.
Steam clean your bathroom(s) and any tiled surfaces. Make sure bathroom grout is sparkling and with no mildew.
Get your windows cleaned.

Make sure your front door is pristine - freshly painted/ stained and sealed, and hardware shiny. A new or clean front door mat is a good idea too.

We're going in the market soon and we're not doing anything structural or anything "big" internal jobs like changing flooring or doors. We figure buyers can do that themselves and will just knock money off. What we are doing:

Removing loud wallpaper to make rooms more neutral. Repainting doors and door frames that are old and discoloured. Touching up any obvious scuffs on the woodwork. Redoing mouldy sealant and filling any cracks on skirting, windowsills and stairs. Pressure washing the path/patio and filling the flower bed with soil to look less limp.

We were on the market last year without redecorating and we didn't get much interest at all. Agents told us people would look past the decor, but absolutely most people can't. I think paint is fine unless it's in a really controversial colour, but we've beige-ed most of the rooms just to be safe.

The house should look clean and tidy. Each room should have a purpose, so if a spare bedroom has become a dumping ground, turn it into an office, or bedroom (depending on size).

Kerb appeal is important. Sweep up leaves etc. Replace dead plants in pots with flowering spring flowers.

Kerb appeal is vital , if you have cars parked put them elsewhere
de clutter everywhere
paint refresh
keep furniture to minimum, carpet cleaning
pets out for veiwings
most viewers can’t visualise the rooms with their stuff
keep it simple and depersonalise

Clean till your hands hurt and keep it spotless. Lick of paint anywhere that’s got a bit dull. Declutter and clear house and garden. Know your audience, if you are in catchment of a good school leave some school related info out, ditto church/leisure centres golf/country clubs, a map with the local dog walks (if there isn’t something unappealing in the area). If you put all that on a notice board people can imagine actually living there.

I wouldn't bother with the chimney, buyers won't appreciate it and their attention may be drawn to something else to moan about. You have the quotes if they ask for them.

If you don’t do the chimneys it will come up on a survey, you could be knocked down a lot or lose the sale.

Clean and declutter, get the garden looking nice and very importantly price the house correctly, do your research locally and see what others have sold for and how quickly.

Any good estate agent should be able to tell you what is worth doing or not.

Do the chimney as they will want it taken off the price after the survey
pressure wash patio and path
dont bother with fairy lights
do both with plants in pots
declutter big time and hide as many appliances and stuff as you can

Massively declutter - it will make the house look bigger inside, will make the estate agents photos look neutral and appealing, and will make it easier for you to pack to move.

And when you have decluttered, do it again!

We put our stuff into storage between selling and buying and ended up throwing loads away / selling stuff when we finally moved in - what a waste of storage money!

Just from threads here when you think you are ready get a friend to take photos and give a view. Don’t take away absolutely everything personal, agree take away quite a lot.

You might need to paint if you take down posters or pictures and find that paint or paper has faded but the paint behind the poster is perfect

Edit as repeated my point

I wouldn't worry too much about carpets, surely most people rip them out anyway when they move in, unless they're pretty new and neutral/to their exact taste