Six 'Bathroom Blunders' Stop Homes from Selling

As the credit crunch tightens its grip and estate agents, buyers and vendors all voice their despair at the sclerosis affecting the housing market, the UK's largest online bathroom retailer, Plumbworld.co.uk, has identified the pivotal role a smart bathroom plays in selling houses. The company has surveyed nearly fifteen thousand customers in what it believes to be the largest on-line survey of its kind ever undertaken. A staggering ninety six per cent of respondents stated categorically that ‘the quality of the bathroom(s) is an important consideration when looking for a new house’.

‘For those with the funds to move, it's a buyers market’ says Plumbworld's Managing Director James Hickman ‘No longer is it sufficient to weed the front garden, tidy the kids toys away, strategically place a vase of fragrant flowers in the hall and ensure there's a seductive aroma of freshly brewed coffee emanating from the kitchen. If the buyer is repulsed by a dated bathroom with mouldy carpets, grotty storage facilities and an effete, dripping shower, all he or she will see is another major expense and the prospect of spending a fortnight living with builders and their mess. The thought of this will result in most buyers making polite excuses and hastily moving on to their next viewing’.

The Plumbworld survey highlights six key areas that vendors need to address before marketing their property: use light, bright colours (cited by 90.2%), fit white ceramics (bath, basin, shower tray, bidet and wc., cited by 91.3%), use a plain glass shower screen where the shower is over the bath (i.e. avoid fussy patterns or cheap curtains -65.9%), choose modern, chrome taps and fittings (94.3%), where space permits install a separate shower enclosure (88.8%) and finally, but crucially, avoid carpets at all costs (cited by 94.3%).

Plain white ceramics with modern chrome taps attract house buyers, plumbworld.co.uk's survey revealed.

‘Even if you have to borrow the money to finance the renovation, it will still pay dividends if the result is that you sell your house where you otherwise would have struggled to. And the longer the house is unsold, the greater will be the risk that its value could plummet by an amount that will totally eclipse the cost of refurbishing a bathroom as described. A smart new bathroom that ticks the buyers boxes can be bought for under £500 - far less than the amount prospective purchasers will seek to knock off the selling price if they agree to buy and then renovate the bathroom themselves,’ says James Hickman.

The Plumbworld survey also suggests homeowners tread cautiously when indulging their own taste. 'You can spend a small fortune indulging your individual style, using gold taps and dark or black tiles for example. The likelihood of a potential buyer sharing your taste, however, is slim. Consequently, the very bathroom that was your pride and joy, may actively deter a buyer from putting in an offer.

'The message is clear: if you want to make your home attractive to the largest number of buyers, then there is a 'right' and a 'wrong' way to present your bathroom'.

For more information visit http://www.plumbworld.co.uk