Before You Sell: Which Trades Does Your Wellington Home Actually Need?

Most sellers know their home needs "a bit of work" before it goes on the market (READ the list they've been quietly avoiding for three years). The question isn't really whether to do something. It's what, who does it, in what order, and how much of your money goes into it.

Some agents will tell you to list it as is because buyers "will see the potential". In this market they don't. They see a list of jobs, price every one of them at the top end, then take a bit more off for the hassle... and most can't borrow extra to fix it up after they move in, so they either offer low or don't offer at all.

1. Risk first, paintbrush second

Before anyone picks up a roller we do a full risk assessment of the house. Unconsented deck? Moisture? A leak that's been "fine for years"? A LIM that doesn't match what's actually there? This is the stuff that blows a sale up at the building report, usually a few days before it's due to go unconditional. Far better we find it first and decide whether it gets fixed, disclosed, or both.

2. Only spend where it comes back

This is where sellers burn money, in both directions. Do nothing and buyers discount you. Do too much and you've overcapitalised on things the next owner won't pay a cent extra for. A repaint and new carpet can run $15,000 to $30,000, so it pays to know which rooms actually need it and which ones just need a good clean.

We've sold four of our own Wellington properties and prepped every one of them first, with our own money. Some of it we did ourselves (yes, the $30 bag of bark mulch, lol). The bigger jobs, an exterior paint included, went to the professionals.

3. Someone has to run the circus

We don't do the trade work ourselves. We do the real estate and project manage the people who do. Painter (the plasterer comes with them), carpet layer, carpet cleaner, sparky, plumber, a builder for the deck boards, roofer, gutters and drains, water blaster, window rubbers and latches, a handyman for the bits nobody else wants, rubbish removal, a Salvation Army pack-up, and a stager when it's warranted.

Knowing which two or three is where the saving is. The rest is sequencing (READ not letting the carpet go down before the painter's finished...). Good tradies in Wellington are booked out for weeks. We've been sending the same ones work for years, so when we ring, they tend to find a gap.

Real World Example

We sold a Wellington home where the owners were overseas the whole time. They never had to touch a thing. We worked out what was worth doing, lined up the trades, sent photos as each job was finished, and they signed off on the lot from the other side of the world.

Not everyone selling is overseas of course, but most people are busy, and the last thing you need while you're packing up a house is to be chasing a painter who said Tuesday.

For a chat about what's actually worth doing before you sell (and what isn't), reach out for a no-obligation chat. It takes 15 minutes and could save you thousands (leonieandsteve@harcourts.co.nz 027 518 0008).

No fuss, no sales pitch, no juniors, just service!

Leonie & Steve

Leonie & Steve sell homes across Wadestown, Paparangi, Karori, Churton Park, Ngaio, Grenada Village, Wilton, Johnsonville, Crofton Downs, Woodridge, Khandallah, Newlands, Northland, Broadmeadows and everywhere in between.