ᐅ Renovations Before Selling a House

Hello,

If this question is out of place here, please excuse me.

My family owns a house that will be lived in for about 3-5 more years and then sold. There is a large backlog of necessary investments.

Our main question is: which investments are advisable to maintain the value of the house? Which ones can we skip given the planned sale soon? I hope someone in this forum can give us some tips, even if it is just comments on individual measures. Thank you very much in advance.

Facts: Semi-detached house from 1989 in a fairly expensive location, about 200m² (2153 sq ft) of living space.

Planned measures this year:
- Renew the ridge and a pitched roof to prevent consequential damage. Since the house will be fully scaffolded for this, it makes sense to carry out additional exterior work now.

Possible measures:

- Cladding of gable beams
It might be possible to clad them with copper; otherwise, they supposedly require repainting every 5 years. Any opinions on this?

- Painting the exterior facade
It may never have been painted. Is it advisable to do this now while the scaffolding is up, or would it be a waste of money? One side of the house has partial ivy growth—are damages to be expected there?

- Insulation
Some areas are uninsulated, for example the roller shutter boxes and a roof exit window.

Many thanks and best regards,
wildwuchs

You can find buyers for both options here. So it doesn’t really matter whether you renovate first and increase the price accordingly, or sell it as-is with a price reduction. I’m not sure how things are in your area.

A freshly painted house makes a very different impression on potential buyers compared to an old, dirty facade – that’s where I would invest. Of course, everything behind the ivy could be damaged, but it doesn’t have to be...

I wouldn’t start with the insulation – doing it in pieces only leads to patchwork. Either do it properly from the start and sell a high-quality house, or leave it and sell a property that needs renovation.

I would paint the facade while the scaffolding is already up anyway. The most expensive part is usually the scaffolding itself. I would also paint the gable beams, since it’s unlikely anyone would pay you the price of copper for them.

I wouldn’t touch the insulation either, just like Wastl. If you do, do it properly.

I also don’t think it would be financially worthwhile to invest a lot of money now. You probably won’t get that back in 5 years.

I would only do what’s absolutely necessary.

But as I said, there’s a lot you can do with the appearance ;-)

Well, in principle, I would also tend to paint the facade if there is already scaffolding in place.

However, the note about the uninsulated roller shutter boxes and the ivy growth makes me think twice. So far, I have never seen a house where ivy was removed without extensive plaster repairs being necessary afterward. Simply repainting probably won’t be enough.

I also see the uninsulated roller shutter boxes as a “problem area” that argues against repainting the facade. If the buyer addresses this issue later, a new coat of paint will likely be needed soon afterward...

Maybe it would be enough to clean the facade with a pressure washer to improve the appearance a bit...

Regards,

Dirk

Hello,

wildwuchs schrieb:

My family owns a house that is expected to be lived in for about 3-5 more years before being sold. There is a significant backlog of necessary investments.

Before you consider further renovations, have a property appraisal done; I estimate it will cost you around €1,000.00 (about $1,100). This will also be helpful when selling the house later. After that, you will know the exact value of your single-family home AND be aware of the task areas, so in my opinion, only then can you make an informed decision.

Whether you partially renovate or sell as-is depends on the current condition; in my opinion, it’s a matter of balancing one cost against the potential sale price!

A fresh coat of paint is similar to preparing a car for sale; it’s allowed and makes sense. Considering the scaffold is already in place – which is not inexpensive these days – it might be worth it. However, the issue of ivy should not be underestimated; this evergreen plant can cause significant damage.

The appraiser will help you with this or potentially ease concerns about the underlying surfaces.

Best regards, Bauexperte

It will remain a house in need of renovation when sold! Therefore, I would avoid extensive renovation work. However, the exterior facade and the interior rooms should be clean.

The ivy could be a reason to lower the price by an additional 10,000. As a buyer or seller, you don’t know what’s underneath, so the risk must be taken into account. The ivy-covered wall probably even looks quite charming. In my old row house neighborhood (built in 1978), there were all kinds of situations: a dense ivy wall that was simply burned off. What remained was a still durable and intact plaster that could be repainted. But there was also a side wall in strange pink colors, which must have been a fungus—what exactly it was, I’m not sure.

Then there was plaster that just fell off all at once over an area of 12 meters (39 feet) wide and 6 meters (20 feet) high 😉 (this is not really relevant now...)

Well, fresh paint wouldn’t hurt either, if the plaster is intact. Potential buyers of a house built in 1989 will certainly not want to take on every possible repair and renovation immediately, so the outward appearance should be right.

Look into the topic of home staging! It’s not just about new furnishings, but starts with neutral walls, cleanliness, and a well-maintained garden, and continues with kitchen cupboard space and depersonalization. However, that is not a concern now but should be addressed at least six months before the sale begins.