Spending money on Dublin apartment before selling?

[DannyBoyD]

we managed to recoup the renovation spend

Luck + rising market most likely.

Empty the place - leaving basic furniture in place. Put a bedspread on the beds, & steam clean / scrub the place within an inch of its life. Remove the curtains, clean the windows.

Make sure you review the photos before they go online & the loo seats are down.

A good paint job can help speed a sale but a "slap on a gallon of white emulsion" job will look just that.

 

[elcato]

the loo seats are down

The clincher eh ?

 

[Sarenco]

@DannyBoyD

General house price inflation was actually relatively muted at the time and there was only a gap of roughly 12 weeks between initially placing the apartment on the market, completing the renovations and going sale agreed.

I think properties that are genuinely in “walk in” condition sell for a modest premium and they definitely shift more quickly.

 

[DannyBoyD]

The clincher eh ?

absolutely.

definitely shift more quickly

Yes, will sell faster, but premium not guaranteed.

 

[ClubMan]

the loo seats are down.

I'm selling a place at the moment and this was the first thing that the females I know mentioned. And, yet, after every viewing so far someone has left it up.

 

[DannyBoyD]

first thing that the females I know mentioned

Dont know if its gender related, but the number of times I see estate agent photos & no one thinks of it. Who wants to be reminded someone just used the loo!

 

[elcato]

Dont know if its gender related, but the number of times I see estate agent photos & no one thinks of it. Who wants to be reminded someone just used the loo!

Anecdotal alert: I have gone sale agreed on 5, sold 3 and bought 2 properties over the last 20 years and in all my viewings I have never noticed whether it was up, down or shaking all about. A clean place is always more welcome and an obvious paint slapping is always suspicious imho.

 

[DannyBoyD]

I have never noticed whether it was up, down

Indeed.

But there is a very good reason hotel staff ensure the loo seat is down when they have finished cleaning & the same holds true for your property photos.

 

[Luternau]

But that's still just speculation

That's all they do...they speculate as to the value, advertise it for way less and then say they got you full market value. Most of the ones I have dealth with are just spoofers.

@Funkymunky I would recommend freshening it up a bit. I have done this two properties in the past 18 months and both sold for (at the time) high prices in the area/estate. Somebody buying it has to feel they can walk in and have to do nothing. Even if they end up repainting it, they still want to be be able to move in and not have to immediately decorate.

 

[Leo]

Somebody buying it has to feel they can walk in and have to do nothing.

Having bought a few and viewed loads including new build show houses, I can't recall ever viewing a property where I thought I'd do nothing.

In a sellers market, there's little evidence to suggest any value in a paint job. I've seen probate sales that haven't been touched in decades sell for the same as ones that looked like they had the painters and landscapers in for a few weeks.

 

[misemoi]

OP I would also suggest you review the ad well with the estate agent...looking at some of them at best they are copy paste, at worst they don't highlight any of the positive aspects of a place - e.g. mention orientation, well managed management co, no rent cap, mature development. Instead they talk about distance from local schools, which will have been researched already by any potential buyers if it is important to them, or give directions through x set of traffic lights etc. I would make sure you get your money's worth there by insisting that they advertise it properly as that will potentially cause people to assign more value to your apartment over others and want to bid higher.

 

[Dr Strangelove]

In a sellers market, there's little evidence to suggest any value in a paint job.

Even a €1,000 second-hand car gets professionally cleaned before sale by a dealer.

Second-hand clothes shops dry clean clothing before sale too.

Presentation matters. I’ve been to a few viewings this year where the vendor hasn’t made an effort on presentation and it has put me off.

 

[DannyBoyD]

Presentation matters

Agreed.

Scrub / steam clean / get rid of clutter & tatty stuff.

Make sure the loo seat is down

 

[misemoi]

Declutter is very important. Places look larger with less stuff in them, as well as giving that blank canvas feel. Think of any Airbnb places you might have stayed and how appealing they are to visit due to lack of stuff. Remember most viewings will be in crowds, dodging other folk going in and out of rooms so the less claustrophobic you make it the better. And in terms of setting up viewings, be as flexible as you can, most of them will only be for an hour or so, so easy to absent yourselves somewhere for a coffee or to run errands to allow for the best viewing time - I would aim for a mid week/evening and a weekend slot to catch people on different schedules to maximise your audience.

 

[Leo]

Even a €1,000 second-hand car gets professionally cleaned before sale by a dealer.

Usually by the young lad on work experience, most people selling a house wash and clean it too. No car dealer is investing in a re-spray or bodywork.

But the biggest difference, as I noted, was that property is a seller's market right now. Most areas in Dublin show low double digit 2-bed apartments on the market, some areas just single digits, but there are ~100,000 used cars on the market. Someone shopping for a used Lamborghini has more choice than people looking for a 2 bed apartment in some Dublin areas!