Shoddy kitchens impact on house sales

21 Nov, 14

Prospective buyers will offer 11% less for homes with poor DIY kitchens

Shoddy DIY kitchens are devaluing house sales, according to TrustMark . It found 91% of British adults would reduce their offer on homes with signs of poor home improvement and over half (54%) would be less likely to put an offer in at all.

The average reduction in offers was 11%, amounting to a loss of over £30,800 for the average English home. In the capital, this figure doubles to £60,149.

An ill-fitted or unfinished kitchen was named as the second most off-putting example of poor DIY, with nearly one in five people saying it was a turn-off. It followed visible wiring.

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Young people, including those who may be first time buyers, were less likely to reduce their offers because of these issues. One in ten (10%) 18-34 year olds were found to actually be more likely to make an offer on these properties – yet would still offer 9-10% less.

In contrast, those aged 65+, who may be more experienced buyers, were most likely to be put off making an offer due to these issues (60%, compared to the average of 54%).

Adults in London and the South East ranked highest when it came to being least deterred by poor DIY, with 11% of those in these regions saying they’d be more likely to put an offer in on these homes (compared to 7% overall). However, they would still reduce these offers by 10% on average, showing that poor DIY can affect prices in even the most competitive housing markets.