What Should You Not Fix When Selling a House?

If you’re planning to put a “fixer upper” property on the market, you may be wondering: “do I sell my house as is or repair it?”.

The Property Solvers team are well-versed in the techniques required to sell your house fast. Here, we explain what you not should fix when selling a house within short timeframes in the UK – and what is best left alone.

What Not to Fix When Selling a House

If you have a house you plan to renovate for sale in the UK, you should avoid:

• Major cosmetic upgrades. Going to town on expensive wallpaper or paint, is never a good idea – although, if you have a pot of emulsion left over from your initial decoration, you should feel free to give your walls a touch up. You might even decide to purchase new paint if it’s affordable – but don’t go overboard!
• Investing in new fixtures and fittings. Feel free to fix leaks in the bathroom or kitchen, or to tighten wobbly light switches and sockets. However, you shouldn’t splash out on replacements. The buyers will prefer to do this themselves.
• Replacing appliances. Don’t go through the fuss of disposing of an old dishwasher – the buyer may well bring their own. At this point, it will be up to them to get rid of the old items if they want to.
• Re-tiling. Cracks and chips in tiled walls and floors can be hard to fix. Much of the time, the only effective approach is to replace the whole lot. The same goes for flooring laminate or wall panels. These things should be left as they are; your buyers will decide how to approach the matter.
• Making adjustments according to new building regulations. If you live in an older building, some original features may not adhere to current planning rules – but those features may fall under a “grandfather clause”, or be “grandfathered in”. This means you will not be required to upgrade them in order to meet current planning requirements, because the law was different when they were installed.

Much will also depend on whether this is a second home or investment property.  For example, you can offset the fix-up costs against your tax obligations (which will result in you retaining more of the equity upon sale).

What to Fix Up When Selling a House

What should be repaired or improved when preparing your house for sale? This is an interesting question, which really boils down to what you can afford to do, and how much certain changes will add to the value of your home.

When planning your sale, you should avoid undertaking any work that will prevent you from making a profit.

You should try to stick to the basics when preparing your property. A good approach is to aim for affordable maintenance, which may include:

• Carefully filling and painting over hairline cracks in walls
• Resolving plumbing leaks
• Getting electrics up to standard
• Getting boiler and gas fittings up to standard
• Replacing any cracked glass in windows
• Painting over marks or stains in walls
• Sanding and polishing scratches in fittings
• Attending to pest problems
• Deep cleaning curtains and carpets to leave them fresh and remove the smell of pets or cigarettes

You’ll also need to remove any furnishings and bric-a-brac that aren’t officially included in the sale.  Conveyancers and estate agents may class these items as waste, and you could face a financial penalty if you don’t remove them.

When to Leave Things as They Are

You shouldn’t feel that you have to fix every little issue when selling, particularly because many potential buyers are looking for a house for sale to renovate. This may either be because they are planning to put their own “stamp” on it, or because they want something to which they can add significant value.

Either way, the chances are that the property’s new owners will choose to thoroughly renovate it – rendering all of your hard work unnecessary.

Most of the time, the people viewing or selling your property will have enough imagination to understand its value without everything looking like new. This is good news, because an extensive refurbishment may cost you any profit you would otherwise make.

For a clear idea of what you can afford to fix, simply compare the perceived market value of your house against the projected costs of the upgrades or renovations. You should also try to estimate how much value those changes are likely to add. These calculations will help you to decide whether a certain “fix” is worth doing, or whether you should leave it to the new owners.

How to Sell a Fixer Upper Fast

If you own a property in need of renovation, you can achieve a fast home sale with the help of Property Solvers.

We buy homes in almost any condition, and can provide you with an up-front, no obligation cash offer straight away. The process is usually complete within seven days, and you’ll receive between 80 and 75% of the property’s market value.

It’s easy to make a start. Simply get in touch with Property Solvers today, and we will provide you with all the information you need to sell your home with us – along with your quote.

We look forward to hearing from you!