Advice from Estate Agent not to decorate

[artieannie08]

This is my first post, but I have read around the other posts... so hope I'm a bit informed...


At the moment my parents are trying to sell their quite large detached house (4 bedrooms, big garden). Although it is a nice house, it doesn't tick many of the boxes of today's buyer. The rooms are small, most pieces of furniture are old, although there are some nice pieces, and the bathroom and kitchen are respectable, but any buyer would almost definitely replace them.

It has been on the market for 3 months, with quite a few viewings but no offers. We are trying to encourage my parents to get in decorators to whitewash walls, and just give it a bit of a spruce up, but all the Estate Agents my parents have contacted have advised my parents against this. (unless they were to do a developers job, ie. a complete and costly refurbishment)

This seems strange to us, as all the advice on these forums/tv says the opposite, that to "cosmetically" improve a property helps it to sell. So why do the Estate Agents advise against this??

[googler]

Well, I remember a certain EA publishing a full-page article that said, essentially, the houses that sell quick are in two categories - (a) the total wrecks that need everything done, and (b) the pristine, ready-to-place-the-furniture types, that you can't distinguish from a show home.

Anything in the half-way house (sorry!) between the two extremes will hang about, and sell eventually, but not as quick as the two types above.

Mind you, this EA went out of business earlier this year, so.....

[artieannie08]

thanks for this. that makes sense.
I guess however, everything is changing at the moment.

[brian]

The furniture shouldn't matter so much, but I would personally take on board general advice that has been doing the rounds for years - that if you are looking to sell, to consider at least some degree of redecorating to neutral colours.

There are some threads elsewhere on the selling board where various selling tips are described.
Selling Property - Home Move: property forum

Ultimately, selling a property is a sales process, so you need to think like a salesman when challenged, instead of presuming a property will solely sell itself in an adverse market.

2c.

[babbles]

Ours must fall into the pristine, move in and put the kettle on category - even down to leaving some very expensive furniture to bring in the buyers. After 9 months and one viewer you become a little paranoid - yes the ease of access to credit and mortgages has dropped through the floor, but, even the occasional viewer would be very welcome. Aiming at the first time buyer, at just over 100 k. I think Rightmove was the one quoting the average time for a house to sell is 87 days, wonder if we are going for a record, 270 days and counting.