At Philip Ellis, we get asked one particular question a lot: “Is home redecoration necessary before selling my property?”

To be fair, we understand why this question keeps cropping up. A quick search on the internet will bring up several articles on the subject, but pretty much all of them come from websites based in the USA. The advice you’ll find on these sites will tell you to go all out and spruce up your home to the point where it will look like a Hollywood A-lister lives there.

But here in Greater Manchester, you don’t need to make your home look like it’s straight from the suburbs of California to achieve a great sale price. The US and UK property sectors really do differ in this regard, so it literally pays to ignore the advice you find from across the pond.

With this in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to settle this argument once and for all for the UK market by coming up with a list of the most common redecorations people do to sell their homes that just aren’t necessary.

To the Window…

No matter if you have single-glazing and you want to upgrade to double-glazing, or even if you want to go all out and get triple-glazing installed, it won’t make a huge difference to the sale price of your house.

On average, it costs between £400 and £600 to have one double-glazed window fitted, and to replace all the windows in a standard UK home, the price could reach up to £7200.

Looking at these figures, you’d find it hard to recoup that money once your property goes up for sale, particularly if you already have perfectly serviceable double-glazed windows installed.

There’s also the possibility you could have the wrong type of double-glazing fitted, which could actually decrease the value of your house. Some buyers want a more traditional feel to their home, so uPVC would needlessly lower the desirability of the property.

In some areas of the UK, such as Sussex, replacing windows has seen an increase in property values, but the sellers received advice from expert estate agents in the local area. We would advise you to do the same and speak to us if you’re still thinking about fitting new windows.

…To the Wall

We’ve spoken about repainting walls and putting up new wallpaper before, and our advice from back then is still accurate today. Yes, a splash of paint can create a very good first impression when going to sell, but you need to weigh up the time and costs of doing so against how much value it will bring to your property.

If the paint looks a little faded in one spot or if there is an obvious mark on the wall that can’t be scrubbed off with a sponge and some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, then a touch up might be needed.

If this is the case, look for the smallest tin of paint you can find and buy just one or two brushes to keep your spend at an absolute minimum.

So, what’s our advice for wallpaper? All you need to do is make sure it’s not peeling too much at the corners (though, if it’s peeling because of damp, you’ll either need to have a damp-proof course or be frank with potential buyers).

The chances are quite high that the new owners will want to do up the walls themselves anyway, so as long as they are presentable for viewings, that’s all that really matters.

For the most part, we don’t recommend completely redoing the walls, but we can conduct a free sales valuation of your property to give you a more specific verdict.

What About the Floors?

Carpets go through a lot of wear and tear, but that doesn’t mean you need to rip it all up and have a new one fitted just because you’re selling up.

Instead, give your floors a thorough going over with a carpet cleaner. The shampoo will make your carpets look brand new and the fibres will fluff up as you run the cleaner over them.

And if you have laminate flooring, a quick sweep, mop and a little floor polish will make your laminate sparkle.

All in all, your floors will look absolutely stunning for sale without the need for redecorating.

And the Furnishings?

When it comes to furnishings, we give out the same piece of advice to everyone; there is absolutely no need to change your furniture, buy new ornaments or put up a Picasso in the living room, so don’t bother.

Serious potential buyers won’t be interested in how tastefully you’ve decorated your house. If anything, the less cluttered your house looks the better, as you want buyers to imagine living their own lives in the property. They can’t really do that if you’ve put up reminders of your family living there in the corner of every single room.

All your furniture needs to do is be an example of how potential buyers can configure the layout once they move in. Sure, putting a throw over a threadbare sofa is fine, as is putting a few magazines down to cover up the stains on your coffee table, but that’s all you need to do.

So, What do you Need to do to Sell?

Believe it or not, there’s no big secret to selling your property quickly and for a great price. All you need to do is keep your house clean and tidy, and most importantly, follow the advice of an expert estate agent.

At Philip Ellis, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of best sales techniques to follow in Greater Manchester areas, such as in Prestwich and Whitefield.

If you’ve been umming and ahhing over what you need to do to sell your property, a member of our team will give you a free property valuation and discuss the best course of action for you to take. Get in touch with the best lettings agents Manchester has today!