What not to do – Ways to reduce the value of your home
Selling your home can be a stressful business, especially if you need every penny of your asking price to finance your move.
One of the keys to getting the full value of your house is to remove the most personal touches – make it as buyer-friendly as possible. Remember that while you may love your psychedelic 70’s style carpets, the potential new owner is unlikely to share your enthusiasm.
There are many ways in which people unwittingly decrease the value of their property. Here is our list of just some of the things to look out for.
- Crowded house: Cluttered rooms packed with furniture are likely to detract from the value of your home, as they make the place seem smaller. Potential buyers also want to be able to envisage rooms as their own, so a clean and minimal approach is far more likely to pay off.
- Double glazing: It may seem like double glazing should always add value to a home, but on certain properties it will have the opposite effect. Replacing original window panes on older houses could, in fact, cost you around £10,000 when it comes to selling up, as it means losing one of the original features of the property.
- Bathroom build-up: Bathrooms play a crucial part in selling your home. Common problems such as chipped tiles or lime scale build-up around the bath will have buyers looking for money off – or even put them off your property completely. A quick fix here and there could pay dividends.
- Planting seeds of doubt: Plants and flowers can brighten rooms and make them instantly appealing, but not if they’re dead or dying. The sight of dead pot plants will affect the buyer’s perception of your home and the way you’ve looked after it – so if they aren’t in good condition they’re best off in the bin.
- Not-so-magic carpets: Carpets in your kitchen and bathroom may keep your toes warm - but they could result in your potential buyer getting cold feet. Carpets in these areas tend to soak up moisture and fumes, leading to damp, mouldy floors that are not likely to appeal.
- Pebble dashed! Many housing flaws can be covered up, but there’s not a great deal you can do to conceal a pebble dash or stone clad exterior. For that reason, if you are ever considering having such work carried out, make sure it's in keeping with the surrounding area. A property which sticks out like a sore thumb can only expect to attract bids short of the asking price.
- Build Quality: A neatly built conservatory will add value to your home, but conversely a poorly put-together extension will put buyers off - so let the experts take care of it! Buying a house is stressful enough without the worry of what to do with that ill-fitting extra room that blocks the neighbours’ sunlight.
- Switch on: Many buyers rely on their instincts. If they perceive that there could be a fundamental problem with your house, they probably won’t hang around to find out if they are right or wrong. Dirty light switches most likely mean that you are a little lazy with the duster, but to a buyer it could set alarm bells ringing – bad wiring, perhaps? Make sure your property is clean and tidy on the day of the viewing to avoid such misconceptions.
If this list reads like a walkthrough guide to your house, don’t panic. Many property flaws can be easily remedied – and even fixing the more fundamental issues will pay off in the long run.
Useful sites
www.rightmove.co.uk - Properties to buy and rent, plus market news
www.hometrack.co.uk - Find out how much your property is worth
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