Redecorating a house in the UK for sale on a budget

[WatcherofthePies]

Does anyone know on where to get good advice on how to redecorate a property (on a budget) before selling? My pensioner parents are selling their large house in the East Midlands area of the UK, to move to a much smaller place in London (which will obviously be much more expensive due to the location). As they are retired they need to maximise the return they get on selling their existing property, so they can actually afford to move, but unfortunately the town where they live has had dormant property prices for years (the short term impact of Brexit is certain to be negative too). The problem is there current house is decorated like it belongs to a retired couple, and is therefore not that appealing to the professional demographic that would likely buy in that area which is a smallish enclave of affluent people. I'm willing to pitch in and help with the painting work to minimise costs, but it would be good to get some informed advice on how it should best be done to make it sellable as possible.

Basically, I want to know which option will leave us with the most money after costs have been debited. The first is to do nothing except clean and tidy everything and perform basic maintenance. However, as (in my view) the decor is rather dated, I wonder if someone will eventually pick it up at a bargain price and do the redecorating themselves. The other option I am considering is to paint the walls white, and replace some fittings (carpets and curtains etc.) that are particularly dated, with replacements featuring simple, bright designs to give the appearance of space and modernity. I doubt this work will cost less than £5000 - no small amount considering they are retired, and the massive costs of moving to London, but it could be worth it if our takings are increased over all.

I would also love to get some professional advice, but am wary at the fact that it would hardly be impartial - Estate Agents would want to strike a deal, while decorating companies would want to sell as muchas their services as possible. My most favoured solution is to get someone to give advice, and then do as much of the work as possible ourselves.

I have posted some photos of the living room as an illustrative example, and feedback would be welcome. Thanks

 

[PostBrexitInvestor]

If there is potentially a lot of decorating to do you it may be worthwhile taking professional advice? The last thing you want to do is do it yourself and make a mess which would leave you in an even worse situation.

One concern would be spending money redecorating property, and changing the decor, only to find you are unable to sell the property in the short term for the price you need. This would mean your parents living in a house which is decorated for sale and not in their own comfortable surroundings?

I would ask local estate agents what type of decor sells houses, although as you say you need to be careful about receiving impartial advice.

 

[WatcherofthePies]

Thanks very much for replying. My parents are probably going to move out before it is decorated, to allow unimpeded access for the (mostly cosmetic) work to be done. I will repaint painted walls in white, but was wondering if it is worth changing this like stained / old fashioned looking carpets, and also ripping down the (relatively new but rather fussy looking) wall paper in the living room, to also be painted plain white?

 

[PostBrexitInvestor]

This is a tricky one, I would probably be tempted to leave the carpets as they are because it is likely the new owners will want to put their own stamp on the property and may change the carpets again. You could always offer some kind of redecorating allowance if you feel a deal was slipping away from you and a buyer needed an incentive?