WHAT THE ESTATE AGENT SAYS
Brian Dempsey is a partner with DNG Property Advisors, senior vice president of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers and a member of the RICS and SCSI
ON A BUDGET OF €10,000
Given the first eight seconds are make-or-break for first impressions in a house, start decluttering at the front and work back. De-clutter so much that you cannot find anything. It also costs nothing.
Show homes are a great place for ideas on colours and furnishings. Paint those skirtings and cornicings so they sparkle again in white. The new carpet, tiles or timber floors that you fell in love with while drooling over the showhouse are now affordable. Any leftover change could be spent upgrading that kitchen or even the bathroom. Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses and this small spend would future-proof your investment.
There’s a trend to replace baths with showers but my advice would be not to replace it with a shower only. Young families need baths for their children and others like a bit of luxury on a Saturday night. Removing the bath does not change the value of your house, but it can be a negative topic of conversation for those who like a bath once a year.
ON A BUDGET OF €50,000
This is an ideal budget as the importance of reducing our carbon footprint becomes more obvious. For most homes, this amount would allow you to wrap your home in insulation, re-wire, re-plumb, replace those drafty windows and doors and do a décor revamp. While a good energy rating isn’t the most important wishlist item for most buyers, we are becoming more and more in tune with the savings that can be made. In fact, the SEAI tell us that the annual running costs of a typical three- or four-bed semi of c100sqm with a BER of A1 is just €190. However, if the same house had a BER of G, the cost would be roughly €4,000 a year to run. The initial investment of €50,000 would soon wash its own face and by the time you come to sell, attitudes will have changed and buyers will demand better Building Energy Ratings.
ON A BUDGET OF €100,000
Attic extensions are great for giving extra accommodation but if you have room to extend elsewhere, that would be the preferred option. If you are extending or converting, make sure you get an engineer’s Certificate of Compliance or Exemption as this will be required further down the line. Remember an attic conversion must meet certain requirements to be considered a habitable room, such as a bedroom or study. These includes certain ceiling heights, distance of window cills from the floor, access onto the roof or secondary exit, fire doors and stairs width along with other building regulation requirements. Attic rooms that do not comply should only be referred to as attic rooms or stores. Anything else leaves you open for renegotiation after the sale agreed stage which is not nice and easily avoided. And be warned, in many instances a converted attic does not add value to your home.
However, a well thought-out extension, which does not distract from the existing accommodation or gardens, is always welcome and, in most cases, it would be fair to say will bring a return greater than or equal to the amount invested in the first instance.
All in all, if you are staying in your home for the foreseeable future and the proposed extension does not dramatically affect the structure of your home or the size of your garden, then I would always recommend adding one. You will get many years of enjoyment from it and it will pay for itself when you eventually come to sell.