Why are kitchens and bathrooms a property’s biggest selling points?

When it comes to selling your home there are a few general rules of thumb that you should follow in order to achieve the best price possible. Simple things like making sure everything is very clean, including the carpets and the outdoor areas are well known, as is decluttering so that viewers will find it easier to imagine their own belongings in your property and maybe even adding a coat of paint to rooms that look a little tired or are perhaps a bit bright for other people’s taste.However, the rooms that you really want to pay close attention to are the kitchen and the bathroom because these are the rooms that could make or break your sale.

With the average cost of a new relatively basic bathroom coming in at around £4500, and a kitchen setting you back between £5000 to £8000 for an average sized room or over £10,000 for a more bespoke kitchen refit then it is clear why people can be put off buying a house if these rooms are not up to scratch. As two of the most used rooms in a house, if buyers don’t feel they can live with what is there then this could mean adding a large chunk of money onto their mortgage in order to complete the work that they feel is necessary.

Having either of these rooms redone can create a major upheaval. With work lasting around a week. If there is no en-suite in a property, then home owners often prefer to go on holiday whilst the work is being carried out. Living without your kitchen for a week is doable, if you are happy to live on expensive takeaways, but again many people prefer not to be there when the work is being carried out. The majority of house buyers facing all the associated costs of moving home are unlikely to want to add the price of a holiday onto the cost of moving.

It is quite normal to budget for decorating the rooms in your new house, adding your own personal style in order to make it look like home, even finding money for a new carpet or two. However, buyers who look at a property and see the need to replace one or both of the most expensive rooms in the house may walk away in favour of another property, so it is far better to get yours sorted before you sell.