What not to fix when selling a house

When you’re selling your home you don’t need to fix everything. We look at what improvements you should make and what not to fix when selling a house in the UK.

Rebecca Gamble Consumer Journalist

KEY INFORMATION

What not to fix when selling a house – summary

• When you’re selling a house, target your hard earned cash on essential repairs and minor redecoration costs
• There are a few exceptions where bigger investments might be warranted in order to secure a sale
• We list what to fix and what not to fix when selling a house in the UK
• It’s a good idea to get advice from local estate agents as to what fixes are likely to improve the sale price you can achieve or make your home more saleable

Should I fix everything before selling my house?

Most definitely not! Home buyers realise a home has been loved and lived in so will have some wear and tear. While in an ideal world your home would look perfect, you need to prioritise spending money on essential repairs and on minor redecoration that will help your home sell faster.

Reasons why you don’t need to fix everything when you’re selling a house include:

• Fixing everything can be expensive and you may not recoup your money when you sell. It makes sense to get an idea of the range of potential values for your type of property. Our instant online house valuation tool is based on up-to-date local data and Land Registry sold data and will give you a high-end and low-end instant property valuation.
• Changes might not appeal to buyers. You may think you’re improving your home by making changes but if buyers have different tastes, it could be a waste of time and money
• Risks delaying sale. Putting off getting your home on the market because you want to make extensive improvements to your home will delay your sale.
• May not be necessary. While you’ll want your home to be in a good condition when you sell, you just don’t need to overthink it and make sure every aspect is perfect.
• It could be wasteful. Anything you do is quite likely to be replaced, decorated over, removed or other by the new owners who are keen to make their own mark and have their own ideas for their home. So are your changes really worth it?

The best way to work out what if anything in your home is a potential deal breaker is to ask good local estate agents. They will know what houses like yours offer, what prospective buyers in your area are looking for and will be able to point out anything you might want to rectify before going to market.

Find and compare local estate agents with our free tool: compare fees, success rate, speed of sale and track-record achieving asking price

What should I fix when selling a house

If you’re selling a house, let’s look at what you should fix first. It’s advisable to deal with any problems that may get flagged up in a survey before putting your home on the market rather than waiting for a buyer to find out about them when they get a bad house survey report.

It’s also worth making cheap and basic improvements, especially if you can do these yourself.

See our guide: 12 tips for selling your home for more advice to get sale-ready

What not to fix when selling a house in the UK

Here are some of the common issues it’s usually best not to fix when selling a house in the UK.

1. Upgrading white goods

Buying new appliances for your kitchen like a new fridge or dishwasher could be a waste of money because you’re unlikely to recoup what you’ve spent when you sell. If you need to replace an appliance because it’s broken, consider a second hand appliance to keep costs down.

2. Extending your home

One of the common mistakes when selling your home is that you should maximise its value before putting it on the market. You may be able to add value to your home by adding a loft conversion or garage conversion. But these are major works, which can be very expensive and time consuming. Also, even if you get quotes to give you an idea of costs, it could end up costing you more. So think very carefully before embarking on this type of project. If your home has extension potential, instead of doing the work yourself consider:

• Getting architect plans drawn up to show buyers the potential.
• Applying for planning permission to show an extension is possible.

3. Replacing carpets

Laying new carpets may give your home a fresh, new look but it’s an unnecessary expense. Instead, for a much cheaper fix, get your carpets deep cleaned. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes. You can hire a professional in to do it for you or hire (or borrow) the equipment to do it yourself. The only exception when you may want to replace carpeting is if it’s ripped or torn.

4. Getting a new kitchen

The kitchen is the most important room in the house for buyers when you’re selling a house. But if you think your kitchen could benefit from being updated, one of the common mistakes when selling your home is thinking this means getting a brand new kitchen. Instead, consider:

• Painting your kitchen cabinets to update the look.
• Replace the cabinet fronts, handles or worktops to give a fresh look.
• Read more in our guide 12 Kitchen makeovers on a budget.

5. Overspending on decorating costs

You don’t need to go overboard with decorating when selling a house in the UK by giving it a new colour scheme. Giving your home a fresh coat of neutral paint should suffice in making your home feel light, bright and airy. Avoid:

• Painting internal woodwork and ceilings, unless they’re in very bad condition or you need to cover damage.
• Over personalising your home with bold colours.

6. Replacing windows

Replacing windows is an expensive fix to make before selling a house: as a rough guide, the average price for new windows is anything between £500 to £3,200 per window, depending on what type you select.

Fitting new windows can also be time consuming and not everyone will share your taste. So instead of making this potentially huge investment, it’s usually best to let the new buyers do this.

Well-maintained windows are important to a property’s kerb appeal. If you have flaking paint, repainting the exterior trim on windows can be less expensive than replacing windows.

7. Garden re-designs

A well-kept garden can be a major selling point but you don’t need to undertake a major landscaping project. People have very different ways of using gardens – some people take pride in a perfect lawn, others grow vegetables, while others want to put down artificial grass or decking for a low maintenance garden. Instead:

• Keep the lawn trimmed
• Tidy borders and remove weeds
• Make sure garden fences are in a good condition.

8. Updating bathroom suites

As long as everything in your bathroom works properly and there are no leaks, think carefully before refreshing your bathroom and replacing bathroom suites. Instead, consider:

• Deep-cleaning and regrouting tiles
• Adding a fresh coat of paint
• Replacing worn flooring with budget-friendly vinyl

You will need to get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to sell your home:

Still not sure if it’s worth spending the money?

If you’re not sure whether it’s worth fixing something, you could get an estate agent’s opinion. A good estate agent will know what buyers want and will be able to guide you on whether it’s worth the time, effort and expense to make certain improvements. Ask specifically if the changes you have in mind will make a difference and for bigger projects, whether you’ll make your money back. Use our best estate agent finder to isntantly find and compare local estate agents.

Alternatively, our partners, Flyp, can advise whether improving your home would help it sell for more money. They offer a transformation service if your property needs enhancements to help it sell. Their tradespeople make improvements at no cost to you in a bid to increase its value and help it sell faster.

Selling a house in poor condition

Some people decide to sell a house in poor condition rather than fixing the issues first.

• Pros of selling a house in a poor condition include not needing to spend any money on the property before putting it on the market. For example, you might do this if you’re selling a probate house and want to avoid spending more money on the property. Selling a house in a poor condition means you can put the house on the market faster.
• Cons of selling a house in a poor condition. The key downside of selling a house in a poor condition is that you’ll almost certainly achieve a lower sale price compared to if you fix the property’s problems first. You may find the problems put many buyers off. And if the house’s condition means a buyer can’t get a mortgage on it, your pool of buyers will be reduced even further to just cash buyers.

If you’re selling a house that needs repairs, it’s important to:

• Be upfront about the repairs the house needs. Ideally get two or three quotes from builders or tradespeople outlining estimated costs to show to buyers.
• Consider different ways of selling. For example, if the house is in such a poor condition it’s unmortgageable, while you may want to still sell via an estate agent, you may also consider selling at auction or by using a quick house sale firm, although there’s lots to watch out for if you’re considering this route. Read our guide Quick house sale firms/ cash house buying companies: What to watch out for

What do you have to declare when selling a house

When you’re selling a house you are legally obligated to reveal anything you know about that will impact a buyer’s willingness to buy it.

When completing your TA6 property information form, you must be accurate. It says, ‘If you give incorrect or incomplete information to the buyer (on the Property Information Form (TA6) in writing or in conversation, whether through your estate agent or solicitor or directly to the buyer), the buyer may be able to make a claim for compensation or refuse to complete the purchase.’

It’s a good idea to find and choose a conveyancer early in the selling process . Find conveyancing solicitors and obtain instant quotes:

For more advice, see our step by step guide to selling your home.

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