The jobs that you might want to leave before selling… or not

When it comes to selling your home, you'll need to think a bit about its presentation.

The property programmes on television talk a lot about generating ‘kerb appeal' - the term covers the concept that the moment your potential buyer pulls up outside your home, there is an instant attraction from the way the building's façade and the front area in general are portrayed, thus giving the putative purchasers the impetus to get inside for a good look around.

That idea can - and should - be extended throughout the property and into the garden. 

While there is something to be said for a buyer wanting to imprint their own personality and taste on a home once they've bought it, equally, anything that makes their shoulders slump with dissatisfaction is likely to either end up with them charging back out the front door or, at the very least, to come to you with a significantly reduced offer.

The problem for any seller is how far they should go with any work to tart the place up a bit (and, more importantly, doing enough that can be maintained until you have a serious offer in place).

But there are also those little (and large) DIY jobs that might be beyond your capabilities but you gave it a good go anyway, and the results show your novice status to the full. 

Will anything you've done - and more crucially what you haven't - be offputting to your potential buyer?

But wait a moment! 

Isn't the job of finding out about the whole structure of the building and its integrity something that's the responsibility of the buyer to organise with a Chartered Surveyor?

The answer is clearly a resounding “yes!” 

But, think of it this way: What would put you off in any home that you were looking around with a view to purchase? What problems would make you think twice about putting in an offer? Or at least without lowering it?

Now think that way with a critical eye over your property. Any serious buyer will organise a survey on your current home, and it will identify any potentially serious issues that need to be addressed with an associated cost.

So, walk around your home and look at it not with your rose-tinted memories but with a view to what you consider to be of concern and look to what needs to be done before it goes on the market.

The advice here is to check for evidence of any of the following:

• Rising damp
• Dry rot
• Leaking roof or missing tiles
• Subsidence or heave
• Infestations of insects
• Serious issues with any utilities (gas, electrical or plumbing)
• Rotten joists or floorboards

These will all be picked up in a structural survey, performed by a qualified chartered surveyor. 

If you have identified the possible existence of any of these problems, you might like to check your buildings insurance to see if you are covered by it to rectify any of the issues identified.

You might also like to consider getting your own Level 3 survey completed if there are any major issues that need to be addressed so that you can identify the likely cost of any remedial work, as well as getting the complete list of problems throughout the property. 

The survey is presented in a traffic light format for ease of reading and understanding - where red is serious and needs immediate attention, amber is a significant problem but which doesn't need immediate resolution, and green is nominally fine.

Armed with this extra information, you can either confirm the asking price that factors in the work (and also present the document as part of the sale process providing the potential buyer is willing to accept it), or you can provide receipts and invoices to show that the work has been completed.

Other than touching up paint, cleaning the walls and woodwork and doing some tidying up in the garden, if you have fully assessed the structural integrity of your property, you are in a strong position to sell.

Good luck!

Do you want that sense of peace of mind about the state of the property you are selling and/or buying? Do you want to find out more about what is included in any of the available levels of survey?

That's where it is really worth contacting Surveyor Local! 

Surveyor Local only works with members of RICS to offer home buyers a comprehensive range of surveys that are affordable and will provide the information required on a property. 

Your appointed surveyor will be local to the property you are buying so they will know the area and bring that knowledge to their assessment and their analysis of the issues with the new home.

Not only will the surveyor work hard to find all the problems affecting the property, they will also be keen to adopt new and proven technology in order to give the best survey possible.

Surveyor Local will provide a quote that will not change - what you are quoted is what you pay. 

Next-day bookings are usually available, and your appointed surveyor will look after arranging access to the property with the estate agent and the seller. Once the survey is complete, they will send you a PDF copy of the report by email.

Call  to get your survey quote started, or to discuss your concerns with the acquisition of your planned property.

Or you can get a quick quote, using Surveyor Local's easy-to-use quote generator. Simply input your name, postcode, email address, phone number and an approximate value of the property (usually the agreed price), and we'll give you an instant quote for the work (with an email copy). 

We'll do the rest once you confirm your acceptance of the quote.