Situation 4 of 10
Selling a house that needs work
Buyers don't mind work. They mind not knowing what it'll cost. Turn the unknown into a number.
“It's just dated: old kitchen, tired decor.”
How to improve it
- Paint walls a light neutral, replace broken handles and bulbs, deep clean, and sort the garden. That's the best money you'll spend.
- Don't fit a new kitchen or bathroom to sell. Buyers want to choose their own, and you rarely get the cost back.
- Price it as a house that needs updating, not against the fully done-up one down the road.
“There's damp, roof or structural trouble.”
How to improve it
- Get it properly diagnosed by an independent surveyor or engineer, not a firm that wants to sell you the fix.
- Get two written quotes. Buyers guess high when they don't know, so a real figure protects your price.
- Fix it before listing if you can, and keep the paperwork and any guarantees to hand to the buyer.
“Buyers can't get a mortgage on it.”
How to improve it
- Find the exact reason: no working kitchen or bathroom, an unusual build, a short lease, or missing sign-offs.
- Some are cheap to fix. A basic working kitchen can make a house mortgageable again.
- If it can't be fixed sensibly, market it to cash buyers or at auction, and price it for that.
Costing building work is my day job. Ring me for a second opinion on any quote.
Other situations
- Your house isn't selling and nothing's happening
- Your house sale has fallen through
- Selling a house you've inherited
- Selling a house during separation or divorce
- Selling a house with tenants in
- Behind on the mortgage
- When you owe more than your house is worth
- Selling your house when you're relocating
- Selling a parent's house to pay for care