What Not to Fix When Selling A House

If you’ve stumbled across this blog, you are likely starting or mid-way through selling a house. 

As you probably know by now, selling your house is not easy and can be stressful, especially in the current economic landscape. 

If you have never sold a house before, you may be overwhelmed by the process. For your first sale, it can be easy to take on much more than you need to, and a big mistake that many people make is making huge repairs before selling a house. 

There is a common misconception that a house must be completely perfect for it to be worth selling. You can trust us when we say repairs are not completely necessary when successfully selling a house, and at Lyons Estates, we have handled plenty of properties without repair. 

If you’re gearing up to sell your home, it’s important to understand what repairs, if any, you should tackle before listing. Let’s dive into the details and clear up any confusion about your responsibilities as a seller.

Repairs You Should Make 

Though you are never obligated to make repairs to your property, if you want to succeed in your sale, there are some repairs you should consider making. Selling your home can take quite a while, so making the following repairs may make the process much easier. 

Minor Maintenance Issues

Although this blog will focus on what not to fix when selling a house in the UK, there are some repairs that you should consider making before putting your home on the market. 

Fixing minor maintenance issues such as leaky taps, squeaky doors, and even broken light fixtures is easy and inexpensive, and it will make your property much more appealing to prospective buyers. 

When people are viewing potential homes, if they see little easily fixed problems, it can be incredibly offputting. After all, if you can’t take the time to make even the most minor repairs, what other substantial repairs have you failed to make? 

Small problems like this can leave buyers with a sour taste in their mouths, so taking a bit of time to make these minor repairs can make a huge difference. 

Safety Hazards

If you are looking to sell your home on the housing market, you should certainly address any safety hazards your home may have. For example, any broken railings, exposed wires or uneven flooring can be incredibly offputting for potential buyers. 

If your home has any major safety hazards, it could delay the sale or persuade buyers to haggle, resulting in a lower selling price. 

Carry Out a Deep Clean

Though not considered necessary, you should definitely consider carrying out a deep clean. Completing a deep clean of the property is completely free and should not take too long, making it worth the potential attraction it may create. 

When people walk into a clean home, it is much easier to picture their future on the property. A mess can be offputting and distracting, so it is worth considering. 

Repairs That You Should Avoid

Now that you know more about the repairs you should probably make on your property, it is equally important to be aware of the repairs you don’t need to make.

Full Renovations

If your property is worn down, it can be tempting to feel that you need to make huge renovations. You need to consider just how expensive big renovations can be. Renovations, such as replacing a kitchen or bathroom, can come to thousands.

There is no point in investing money only to then sell the property straight after, as this can eat into your possible profits and make the whole process all the more difficult. 

You have to consider that a full renovation of these spaces can actually be quite offputting for potential buyers. People often want to fully customise their space, and it is much easier to rip out and restart with a worn-out kitchen than a fully renovated one. 

Remember that everyone has different tastes. Though you may like a certain renovation style, that does not mean that someone else will also like it. The last thing you want is to put off potential buyers. 

Cosmetic Fixes

A common point of confusion among people looking to sell their homes is whether or not they need to make cosmetic repairs to their property. People have recurring questions: ‘Do you have to fill holes when selling a house in the UK?’ or ‘Do I need to repaint my home before putting it on the market?’.

The short answer is no; you don’t need to make any cosmetic fixes to your property. Minor imperfections such as chipped paint or tired carpets are nothing to be concerned about. 

When someone purchases a property, one of the first things they do is change the flooring and redecorate the walls, so why invest so much money into renovations when they won’t benefit from them? 

High-end Upgrades

If you want to appeal to buyers looking to purchase your property at a premium price, it can be easy to be misled into thinking that you have to make luxury and high-end upgrades to your property. 

From our experience, we have learned that there is really no point in investing in smart home features, premium appliances, and luxury fittings because, more often than not, people are not interested in these features as they require more maintenance. 

As long as the appliances you offer with the property are in working order, you often will not need to worry about ensuring they are high-tech or updated. 

Non-critical Structural Repairs

Structural repairs can be incredibly costly; when they are complete, they do not necessarily add more value to your house. You can spend thousands to repair an old roof, which will not be reflected in the sale of your property.

As long as the structural issues are not hazardous and can be easily amended by the new owners, you do not have to worry about making these repairs, and you can save yourself a lot of time and money by not making these repairs. 

Elaborate Landscaping

When selling a property, it is beneficial to clear up the garden and make the property look presentable, as nobody wants to purchase a property that requires a lot of work and required changes. 

However, a big mistake people make when selling a property is carrying out elaborate landscaping that does not add any value to the property, so be sure to avoid it. General tweaks to your home’s kerb appeal can make a big difference, and also help to increase its visibility and appeal in property listings.

Can You Sell ‘As-Is’?

If you don’t want to make any changes to your property but are concerned about how this may impact the price of your property, worry not. 

When working with an independent sales and lettings agency, such as our team of estate agents in Liverpool, they will guide you through the process and suggest any changes that you will need to make to your property.  

Making unnecessary repairs to your property can create an emotional and financial strain that can be easily avoided. By turning to a team of experts, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort, as they help you along every step of the way. 

Work With an Experienced Lettings Agency 

Hopefully, this blog has given you more insight into what you should or shouldn’t repair if you are looking to sell your home.

Overall, making improvements and renovations to your home can be beneficial in some instances, but it can also be costly, and even redundant if not done properly. Working with our team at Lyons Estates can help to streamline the process, with clearer guidance on the things that do and don’t matter. 

If you want to sell your property with us, get in touch today.