When preparing a property for sale, every pound you spend should make a meaningful difference to the asking price or speed of sale. Surface repairs occupy a sweet spot in pre-sale preparation — they’re relatively cheap, visually impactful, and signal to buyers that the property is well-maintained. Here’s how to prioritise.
First Impressions: Kitchens and Bathrooms
Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. These are the rooms buyers scrutinise most closely and where surface condition makes the most visible difference. Surface repairs that are almost always worth doing before going to market:
- Chipped bath — a chip in a white acrylic or enamel bath is one of the first things viewers notice. A professional repair costs £80–£150 and is often invisible.
- Discoloured or cracked grout — dark or crumbling grout in the bathroom or kitchen instantly reads as “tired”. Grout restoration transforms the appearance of a tiled room for a modest cost.
- Black silicone joints — replacing bathroom and kitchen silicone is cheap, fast, and makes both rooms look significantly cleaner.
- Chipped kitchen worktop — particularly on stone worktops, a chip can make an otherwise good kitchen look poor. Repair is cost-effective and highly visible.
- Chipped or scratched kitchen door edges — a run of kitchen doors with chipped edges looks dated; chip repair refreshes the whole kitchen for far less than new doors.
Floors: Worth Fixing?
Scratch repair on hardwood floors before sale is often worthwhile, particularly if the floor is otherwise attractive. Buyers will notice a scratched hardwood floor and may factor the cost of sanding into their offer. Spot repairs for chips and scratches typically cost much less than a full floor sand.
For LVT and laminate, addressing chips and lifting edges removes a potential buyer objection at low cost.
What’s NOT Worth Doing Before Sale
Not every repair is a good investment before sale:
- Full bathroom renovation — rarely recouped in full on sale
- New kitchen — unless the existing one is in very poor condition
- Extensive redecorating — buyers prefer to choose their own colours
Get a Pre-Sale Assessment
Send Shazam Repairs photos of any surface damage in your property and we’ll provide fixed-price quotes for each repair, helping you prioritise what to fix and what to leave. We can often complete all repairs in a single visit.
