Renovations before house sale

Hello,

if this question is out of place here, I apologize.

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

Our big question is, which investments are advisable to maintain the value of the house? Which ones can we save on if a sale is imminent? I hope someone in this forum can give us some tips, even if only to comment on individual measures. Many thanks in advance.

Facts: semi-detached house from 1989 in a fairly expensive location, about 200m^2 living space.

Firmly planned measures this year:
- renew ridge and a pointed roof to avoid consequential damage. The house will be completely scaffolded for this, so it makes sense to carry out additional exterior work now.

Possible measures:

- Cladding gable beams
Could probably be clad with copper, otherwise it allegedly needs to be painted every 5 years. Opinions?

- Painting the house facade
Maybe never painted before. Is it sensible to do this now with the scaffolding in place, or is it wasted money? On one side of the house, we have partial ivy growth; are damages to be expected there?

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

Many thanks and best regards,
wildwuchs

With us, you will find buyers for both options. So it doesn't matter whether you renovate now and add that to the price or sell unrenovated with a price discount. I don't know what it looks like in your area. A freshly painted house has a completely different effect on potential buyers than an old dirty facade - I would invest in that. Of course, everything under the ivy can be damaged - but it doesn't have to be,... With the insulation, I wouldn't start - that's just patchwork - either do it properly right away and you sell a high-quality house or don't do it and you sell a house in need of renovation.

I would paint the facade since the scaffolding is already up anyway. The most expensive part will probably be the scaffolding. I would also rather paint the gable beams, as probably no one would ever pay you the price of copper.

I wouldn't touch the insulation, just like Wastl. If at all, then properly.

I also hardly believe 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 the necessary.

But as I said, you can do a lot about 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 more than thoughtful. I have not yet seen a house where the ivy was removed and no extensive plastering work was required afterwards. A simple repainting is unlikely to be sufficient.

I also see the uninsulated roller shutter boxes as a "problem area" that argues against repainting the facade. If the buyer then takes on this problem, the next coat of paint will probably be due...

Maybe it is enough to just clean the facade with a high-pressure cleaner to "lift" the appearance a bit...

Regards,

Dirk

Hello,

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

Before you think about further renovation, have an appraisal done; I estimate it will cost you around €1,000.00; it also helps with the later sale of the house. Afterwards, you will know the value of your single-family home very precisely AND also be aware of the problem areas and in my opinion you can only then make a decision.

Whether you partially renovate or sell, as the condition allows, is in my opinion just shifting money around, since you have to compare the investment of the partial renovation with the potential sale price!

I see a fresh coat of paint similarly to detailing a car before selling it; it is allowed. Especially since the scaffolding is already up; not a cheap matter these days. However, the ivy issue is really not to be underestimated; this evergreen can cause quite some damage.

The appraiser will help you with this or possibly be able to relieve your worries about the substrate.

Rhenish regards

It will remain a house in need of renovation when sold!
Therefore, I would refrain from major renovations.
However, the facade outside as well as the rooms inside should be clean.
The ivy may be a reason to lower the price by another 10,000. As a buyer/seller, you don’t know what is underneath, so the risk must be factored in.
This ivy-covered wall probably even looks quite charming. In my old row house estate (built in 1978) there was everything: a dense ivy wall that was simply burned off. What remained was a still durable and intact plaster that could be repainted. But also a sidewall in strange pink colors, which had to be some kind of fungus: what that actually was, I don’t know.
Then plaster that simply fell off in one go over a total width of 12 meters and a height of 6 meters ;) (<- not really related to the topic...)

Well, fresh paint wouldn’t be bad either if the plaster is intact.
Potential buyers of a house from 1989 will certainly not immediately undertake all conceivable repairs and renovations, so the exterior appearance should be right.

Familiarize yourself with the topic of homestaging! This topic is not only about new furnishing but starts with neutral walls, cleanliness, and a well-maintained garden, and continues with space in the kitchen cupboard and depersonalization. However, this is not an issue now, but at the latest about half a year before the start of the sale.