What Not to Fix When Selling a House in London
The renovations that rarely pay back, what buyers actually notice, and where to put the money instead
IN BRIEF
What should you not fix before selling a house? Anything a buyer will probably redo to their own taste: whole kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and gardens. These rarely earn back what they cost, and they delay your listing. Fix what is unsafe, broken or visibly tired, then spend the money you saved on cleaning, decluttering, lighting and photographs.
You should know I have an interest in this topic. I make my living from presentation, so of course I will tell you to spend on presentation.
But I would rather you kept your money than spent it in the wrong place, and a lot of money is spent in the wrong place before a sale.
Why do big renovations rarely pay back before a sale?
Because buyers pay for the home they can see, and they judge it against the home they would have chosen themselves.
A new kitchen is a taste decision. You choose the finish, and the buyer decides whether they would have chosen it. Many would have chosen differently. If they would have changed it anyway, you have not added value. You have spent money on something they may pay to replace.
There is also the clock. Building work takes weeks, and while it runs your property is not on the market. In my experience the first two weeks on Rightmove and the other portals is when a listing gets most of its attention. Spending those weeks on a renovation means listing late, not listing better.
Estate agents give much the same advice. Several UK agency guides recommend against full kitchen or bathroom renovations, rewiring or major roof work before a sale unless there is an active fault, and suggest putting the money into small, visible fixes.
What should you not fix before you sell?
Leave these six alone unless there is an actual fault.
1. A working kitchen
If it works and it is clean, leave it. A deep clean, new handles and fresh sealant make a tired kitchen look cared for. A whole new kitchen mostly makes you feel better about the sale.
2. A working bathroom
The same rule applies. Re-grout, replace the sealant, fix the dripping tap and clear the limescale. A buyer who wants a new bathroom will want it in their own taste anyway.
3. Sound flooring throughout
Replacing every floor is a large bill for something buyers often change. Clean it properly. If one room is badly worn or stained, deal with that room and leave the rest.
4. Your own taste in decoration
Bold paint, wallpaper and feature walls make a room more memorable to you and less neutral to a buyer. Fresh, plain paint where it is needed is fine. A statement is not.
5. A boiler or system that works
Perfectly functional older systems do not need replacing before a sale. Service the boiler, keep the paperwork and tell buyers what you have.
6. The garden or balcony
Tidy it. Do not landscape it. A swept balcony and a cut lawn do the work, and a new patio is rarely worth the cost before a sale.
What is worth fixing?
Fix anything that is unsafe, broken, leaking or visibly neglected, because buyers read a small fault as a sign of a bigger one.
- Dripping taps, loose handles, blown bulbs and broken blinds.
- Cracked tiles, scuffed paintwork and marked walls.
- Damp or mould. Fix the cause. Painting over it is likely to be found by a buyer’s surveyor.
- A tired front door and hallway, which is the first thirty seconds of every viewing.
- A proper deep clean, top to bottom.
These cost little compared with a renovation, and each one removes a reason for a buyer to hesitate.
What do buyers actually notice?
Buyers notice light, space, cleanliness, smell and whether they can picture their own life there.
Buyers do their thinking before they arrive. They have already decided whether the location is right, whether the price is right and whether the size is right. The moment they cross the threshold I want them to start feeling. That is a different part of the decision, and no new kitchen unit can do it for you.
It is why a clean, light, uncluttered property with a few good pieces of furniture can beat a renovated one that feels empty. Buyers fall in love with the feel of a place, and then work out the rest.
Where should the money go instead?
Spend on whatever changes the first thirty seconds, in this order.
Clean and declutter first. It costs time rather than money, and it does more than anything else on this page. Clear the hallway, clear the surfaces, and take a third of the contents out of full rooms.
Then paint and light. Plain paint where marks show, and the same warm bulbs throughout.
Then furniture. Empty rooms need furnishing and full rooms need editing. If you still live there, part staging works with what you own, removes what is fighting the space and adds what is missing.
Photographs last, after all of the above. The photographs are the first viewing, and they stay online for the life of the listing.
If your property has already stalled, read why your London property is not selling. If it is empty, read whether it is better to sell empty or staged.
What if there is a real defect?
Disclose it, price it and do not hide it.
If there is damp, a leak, a short lease or a structural problem, get the facts and a quote for putting it right. Put the information in front of buyers and let the price reflect it. Buyers will accept a problem they understand. They will walk away from one they discover later.
Your solicitor will answer written questions from the buyer’s side about the property, and those answers need to be accurate. I am a stager, not a solicitor or a surveyor, so take advice from yours on what you must disclose.
Frequently asked questions
Should I replace a dated kitchen before selling?
Usually not. If it works and it is clean, a deep clean and small details such as new handles do more for the money than a full replacement. Buyers often prefer to choose their own, and the works delay your listing.
Should I repaint before selling?
Yes, where marks and scuffs show, and keep it plain. Fresh neutral paint is cheap and makes rooms look cared for. Avoid bold colours and feature walls.
Do I need to fix everything a survey might find?
No. Fix anything unsafe or leaking, tell buyers about known issues and let the price reflect the rest. Ask your agent and your solicitor what you need to disclose.
Is it worth replacing worn carpet before selling?
Only where it is visibly worn or stained in the rooms buyers see first. Otherwise a professional clean is the cheaper answer.
Do I need to do anything about the garden or balcony?
Tidy it. Sweep, cut back, clear clutter and add a table and chairs if it helps buyers see how the space is used. Landscaping is rarely worth the cost before a sale.
Not sure what is worth doing in your property?
Send me the listing link, or a few photographs, and tell me what you are thinking of fixing. I will tell you what I would leave alone and what I would do first, within 24 hours.
Sonja Townsend, Director. T: +44 7572 880 266. sonja@londonpropertystaging.com
This article reflects the author’s professional experience and the London market at the time of writing. It is general guidance, not financial advice or advice on a specific property. Figures are from the sources listed below and will be updated as new data is published.
Sources used
- Purplebricks, “What not to fix when selling a house in the UK”, property guides.
- Chancellors, “What not to fix when selling a house UK”, seller resources.
- Country Properties, “What not to fix before selling your home”.
- Ellis & Co, “What not to fix when selling a house”.
- The advice on presentation, photographs and the first two weeks on the portals is the author’s own professional experience.