selling up

[Xenon101]

My house has been a bit neglected in terms of decorating and general upkeep. If i want to sell up do I need to spend on updating or can I not bother to get the full value? I havn't even had it valued yet but want to maximise it.

[raysparx1]

I wouldn't spend to much money, maybe invest in a few tins of magnolia emulsion, and some white gloss, whatever you do to update it,the people that buy it might well pull it out and do something different, and everybody likes to think they are getting a bargain, some might view and think oh no, we want a house we don't have to touch, but I would rather go for one to put my own mark on, you could go to all the trouble of spending say �10,000 and put the value up by �8,000 and youv'e had a lot of hassle.

[buildersmate]

Agree with Ray's comments. It rather depends whether the house is tired-looking but in a good area and what is expected in the area where you live. A few coats of paint brighten a place up and can influence these who cannot see beyond the image as they walk into the place - so worth it for DIY-value. But not really worth getting any builders in - buyers will factor a discount off the price for work that needs doing and they will have an element of their own choice if they buy the property not done up.