Advice Home improvements / moving home

[old.user4556]

Gents,

Given some of you have rented, bought, camped, mansioned and slummed it over the years (or many decades Gaff.. ), I wanted to get some advice around "What's the best bang per buck to attract a house buyer?".

I've had it with my neighbours (see my other bl33ting threads), so went to see a housebuilder about a part exchange / home assist. A long story short, they will market my property "to sell quickly" (read: far too cheap, and not anywhere near what you want for it), and given that the development I live on is still .. er .. under development, there are two bedroom flats for sale all over the place that have been up for sale for years. This means that the equity I will get out of my flat may not be enough and I will need to rely heavily on savings that I had ear marked for carpets, upgraded kitchen etc.

Basically, I need to sit tight until the housing market recovers if it ever does.

My question is:

What obvious bang per buck things can be done to a property to make it more attractive? What do you look for? Obvious things like paintwork? Kitchen units? What makes you like a place?

 

[Wij]

Fresh magnolia everywhere and de-clutter. Put everything in storage.

 

[Wij]

And don't forget to mention the excellent view of the playground.

 

[caLLous]

And the charming neighbours.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Put a toilet in every room!

 

[Wij]

Do a toilet in every room!

:O

 

[old.user4556]

This thread is going well

 

[caLLous]

Serious though, I would agree with Wij's first post.

Magnolia or some other light neutral colour and make it nice and tidy. It's a relatively new build isn't it? So there's not much you can do re: kitchen or bathroom (modernisation and whatnot)?

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Make the kitchen a wet room.

 

[DaGaffer]

This thread is going well

Well I'm not going to give you the benefit of my extensive experience due to your ageist remarks, so my advice would be burn it down for the insurance

 

[old.user4556]

That's the most sensible post yet .

Edit: don't be a spoil sport Gaff

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Remove the number and give it a name.

"Sex dungeon" is a good start. Make sure it's red writing on a black sign too.

 

[Lamp]

Clean all the windows inside & out
Sinks / Shower / Bath / WC's so spotless you could eat your dinner off them. Taps gleaming.
Paint all interior walls - cream / magnolia / gloss window frames
Fix any chipped woodwork
Replace any stained / tatty carpets / polish wooden floors
De-clutter
Hoover / clean / dust everything (don't neglect those cobwebs in the corners!)
Make sure the front & interior doors close cleanly
Get rid of anything embarassing (tobacco smells, ashtrays, Rizla papers, porn mags, crumpled tissues, womens underwear stuck to the bedroom wall etc)
Don't overdo the air-fresheners. Leave all the windows open for hours on end. Plenty of fresh air & natural light.
If you've got a dodgy sofa, throw a wrap over it. Soft lighting to take the edge off the harsh reality.
The usual homely welcome aromas of freshly baked bread (or shop bought warmed in the oven), fresh coffee etc
Don't forget any outbuildings (shed, garage)

If you can find out who your visitors are, you can tweak the look at the last minute (fresh flowers for the ladies / poofs, games console & TV for a bunch of lads, etc)

 

[Wazzerphuk]

If you've got a dodgy sofa, throw a wrap over it.

Challenge set: wrap a 3 person sofa in a condom. GO!

 

[caLLous]

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

 

[Lamp]

(hint: he didn't say a condom for a human)

*retrieves Giant Redwood prophylactic from shed*

 

[Wij]

crumpled tissues

Wanking crisps on the coffee table is a big nono.

 

[Lamp]

Agreed. Coffee tables are so 70s.

 

[russell]

Apparently smell is the biggest deciding factor.
Most people under estimate how it can affect their decision...

 

[Lamp]

I wondered why my Mrs sent me off down the pub with a score when we sold our last house...

 

[Aoami]

fresh flowers for the ladies / poofs

lol

 

[Raven]

Make sure you gas the neighbours before getting any potential buyers round.

 

[TdC]

scent indeed. fresh coffee or bake an apple pie in the morning.
indeed, all sanitary stuff spotless and gleaming. no stains, mould, whatevers. remove all cleaning things, so no sponges, buckets, bleach, cleaner, anywhere.
*CLOSE* the toilet lid. *OPEN* curtains.

also, people do like to see that a house is being lived in, so leave some knickknacks out or you'll look like Patrick Bateman and/or a vampire.