Renovating to sell

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth redecorating a house before putting it up for sale, consider the value builders put on a showhouse.

“The reason we all go into a showhouse and gush about it and fall for it, is because it is so nicely presented,” says Rowena Quinn, managing partner at estate agency Hunters.

It is part of what she calls the “Three Ps” of successful house sales — preparation, presentation and pricing.

It applies from the very first sales tool you have at your disposal, the online images.

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“If people really like the pictures, they’ll get on to the agent straight away. If they are not so keen it’s like online shopping, they’ll put it ‘in their basket’ and maybe come back to it later.”

Redecorating helps widen the buyer pool too. “People are time-poor. They are busy with work and family. The idea of having to do that work themselves is off-putting,” says Quinn.

“If they can buy something that they can move into comfortably now, knowing that they can put in a new bathroom or whatever down the line, that’s much more attractive to them,” she says.

Even if you’re on the tightest budget, there are steps you should take before putting a house on the market.

“If the boiler is on its last legs, fix it. Not having heat and the fear of having to put in a new system immediately is a big red flag that causes anxiety for people who fear having to set aside additional money,” advises Quinn.

Give it curb appeal. “It’s all important, so make sure the garden is neat and tidy. Use planter pots to give colour and fill them with flowers. You can take them with you if you don’t want to lose the money you spend on them,” she adds.

Put particular emphasis on the front door and the impact when people first walk in. “Make sure to have fresh paint in the hall and if it needs a new carpet, put in a neutral one. If you can’t do that and have floorboards, take up the carpet.”

Ensure your bathroom doesn’t give buyers the ick. “If you decide not to upgrade it at least refresh the grouting and maybe replace the tiles. In the kitchen make sure all your appliances are clean. That’s particularly important because they’ll be staying and can be used,” she adds.

Set the stage

Home staging expert Breeda O’Sullivan of UpStaged Properties suggests spending between 0.5 and 1.5 per cent of the asking price on redecoration. Think of it as an investment, which should be repaid with interest.

She too puts particular emphasis on online images. Avoid having anything dark in a picture, like a throw on a bed, as it absorbs all the light and makes the room look dark.

Equally, avoid anything too brightly coloured. “If you’ve a multicoloured rug, it’s all people will see,” she adds.

Remove all personal items. “It’s like when you walk into a hotel, you don’t want to be thinking about the person who slept in the room the night before,” she says.

Be impersonal

At the very least “take out any contentious colour choices,” says Gemma Lanigan, partner at estate agency DNG.

“Get rid of any polarising colours, to appeal to as many people as possible.”

Kitchens can be dated by the colour of the units. Having them professionally resprayed will bring them up to date. “It can be transformational”, she says.

Pay particular attention outside. “Even if it is small people respond well to a nicely designed space, so put in some trellis and mirrors and power wash the patio. You don’t have to spend the earth,” she advises.

With bedrooms, less is more. “Most bedrooms are small so take out as much as possible. Keep furniture to the bare minimum.. If you have curtains and blinds, take off the curtains, they actually take up space,” she adds.

Declutter. “People have a gut reaction to furniture. Even though they know they are not buying it, it’s what they remember. Take all appliances off the countertops, bar coffee machine and toaster,” says Lanigan, who recommends bringing in a professional cleaning firm to spruce it up.

One nice big print is better than millions of family photographs. “When you are selling you have to accept that your house is not a representation of you anymore, it’s for the buyer to see themselves in that space,” she says.

Once you have stripped back to the bare minimum, put in cushions and throws for colour.

Fresh bed linen is a must and Yvonne Nugent, head of homewares for furniture and bedding at Harvey Norman suggests visiting one of its stores to see how its visual merchandisers dress beds for maximum impact.

One of the quickest ways to smarten a room is through the use of wall art. One well-positioned piece right behind the sofa is a very good look for online imagery, she points out. “People sweep through pictures at speed and form an opinion so quickly,” she says.

Turn on table lamps for ambience but be careful of mirrors that reflect the photographer, it’s distracting.

Subtle accessorising works wonders. “Again in the kitchen, it’s about just leaving one nice bowl out or a vase with statement faux greenery,” she says. “We have lovely coloured pots for plants, in three sizes each, which add a lovely pop of colour indoors.”

She too recommends taking down curtains to maximise space and light and making sure blinds are fully up. “Make the most of natural light throughout the house and if you have a north-facing room make sure to have warm colours in it,” she advises.

Storage solutions

Though Brian Hefferon, chief executive of Nesta Self Storage, derives a significant portion of his business from people renting storage space while they prepare their house for sale, declutter is a word he objects to.

“I don’t like its negative perceptions. What we are talking about are possessions collected up over a lifetime. But the fact is, if you can take out as much as possible, it will make the house feel bigger,” he says.

If you are handling an executor’s sale, in a house no one is living in, then clearing it entirely is often recommended, even though the relatives left behind might not be in a position mentally to dispose of their loved one’s belongings yet.

Putting items into storage at such times is like “a holding pattern”, he explains.

Those moving to a new property often find that their possessions don’t “fit”, in both senses of the word, in their new home. But, again, they too don’t want to lose them.

“It may be that they have inherited a piece, or bought it on a particularly memorable holiday or day out, and don’t want to get rid of it,” he explains. “A lot of what we hold at Nesta is of emotional rather than financial value. It’s when you want to hang on to it, but don’t need it at your fingertips.”