Refurbishing a house prior to selling: Money well spent??

JakeD · 2013-01-02T18:06:29+00:00

Is it a foregone conclusion that putting money into refurbishing one's house prior to putting it on the market is usually a good investment? There are TV programs that seem to suggest so, but people who make TV programs are making their money from making TV programs - not from buying and refurbishing property! What's more, I often watch those progs (House Doctor etc.) and think to myself: "Wow, if I were the buyer, I'd rather they had left the place as it was and just given me the money they put into "improving" it!"In my case, the only major jobs left to be done that would make the place significantly more attractive, would be fitting new carpets throughout, redecorating throughout, repainting the exterior rendering, and replacing the nackered wooden windows with new UPVC ones. I'd have to borrow the money to do these jobs, (say £3K or £4K) and I'm concerned about getting further into debt than I already am, because I'm already stretched. Of course, if the house sells quickly, it wouldn't matter much, but it's a bit hard to predict how long a house will take to sell.Many thanks,JD