- Plan ItBack
- Design ItBack
- Build ItBack
- Homes
- Products
- CostsBack
- Self Build Cost Calculator
Estimate your project costs instantly with Build It's interactive self-build cost calculator
Calculate Now - Costs & Finance
- Contracts & Warranties
- Build It Estimating Service
Get an accurate, detailed cost breakdown of your project
Submit plans
- EventsBack
Q&As
Building to sell – how much do we fit?
We have got to second fix on our house build (5 bed, detached, double garage) and have had a lot of local people asking us if we will be selling, which we have told them 'Yes'. We estimate the house value to be around £700,000 as house prices in our area have shot up recently.
The thing is we are undecided how far to go with fitting the house out.... we have bought all the bathroom, en-suite, wet room pieces, plus the floor and wall tiles for these rooms, and these will be fitted as part of the plumbers second fix.
But we are not sure whether to tile the remaining floors, or to put any carpet or wood flooring down, and most of all whether to fit a kitchen and utility?
At least 5 locals have said they want to buy the house (properties are in short supply here) and that we don't 'need' to finish it as they want to put their own choice of kitchen, flooring etc in. We have a list of names and numbers to call when we are ready to sell!!!
My husband wants to complete the WHOLE build before marketing it, whereas I think we should get the basics done, make it clean and tidy, level the gardens and drive then sell it 'as is' to whoever wants to complete it. I don't see the point of putting in a kitchen and utility when whoever buys it most probably wont like it and rip it all out.
So do we completely finish it and try to get the best price, or do we leave it as a basic shell for someone to put their own fixtures and fittings in?
One Answer
Hi Andi,
You can only really answer this with local research of house prices, talking to agents and by getting offers from people who are interested in the house. So, if I were you, I’d have a few estate agents value the house now – before you complete any more works. That will at least give you a starting point.
You can then discuss with them the potential value uplift of installing a kitchen, bathroom suite etc (including a discussion of quality levels). Their answers, of course, will be based on the idea of what a generic buyer would likely pay for the house, but it gives you a frame of reference.
Bear in mind that many new build houses are viewed and sold prior to completion – whether with a pre-agreed fit-out or as a shell – so this is something a good estate agent should be able to handle.
Selling as a shell could limit your market, because some people are put off by the need to do work (particularly things like laying the driveway, which affects the kerb appeal). But if you know you have a market already and you get a realistic offer that tallies roughly with what you would have spent completing the house… then it means you get your money with a lot less time and effort on your end!
The other question, of course, is whether the financials are your only priority. You mention not seeing the point putting in a kitchen and utility if it’s going to be ripped out again – so perhaps there’s a sustainability aspect to the final decision-making for you, too.
Only you and your partner can decide how to balance those priorities!
Best of luck.
Chris Bates (editor, Build It)