Are you following the fixer upper fashion?

Skips. Cement mixers. Brick dust. People with hard hats and high-viz jackets milling about. How do these make you feel? Just like Marmite, homeowners have a love/hate relationship with renovations. What camp do you fall in?

If you struggle with the thought of your home being ripped apart and rebuilt, look away now. There is an active band of home buyers who prioritise purchasing a ‘fixer upper’. In fact, there have been three recent developments that show purchasing a home in need of some TLC is very much in fashion.

The first indication came from Zoopla. It has added a new ‘property features’ section to its search filter. Buyers can tick the fixer upper box and only see properties that are less than perfect. The search results will mainly be filled with homes that need modernisation – think new bathrooms and kitchens – but there is a quicker route to finding the best fixer uppers.

Register directly with us, letting us know the type of renovations you’re prepared to undertake, and we’ll give you first refusal of properties that match your criteria before they are listed online. 

Something else that caught our eye were the results of a survey carried out by Rightmove. The portal asked 34,000 home-movers their thoughts on affordability and ideal purchases. Of those questioned, 73% of renters see fixer uppers as a more affordable route to property ownership, while 73% of existing homeowners wanted to buy a property that needed work in order to create their dream home. Energy efficiency also played its part, with 57% of all respondents saying a fixer upper would allow them to create a sustainable home for the future.

Rightmove also crunched the numbers to establish how much of a discount buyers of fixer uppers might benefit from. It found the current national average asking price for all types of homes for sale was £371,858. When looking just at fixer uppers, the average asking price was £327,224 - lower to the tune of 12% (or £44,634 less).

The third confirmation that renovating a property is in vogue was suggested by The Times. According to the author, Frankie Graddon, living on a building site is a status symbol, with Millennials far more obsessed with doing up wrecks than they are buying designer handbags. It appears making endless cups of tea and living in a draughty, dusty home is a point of envy.

If you’re a homebuyer happy to take on the hard work that comes with a fixer upper, here are six points to consider:

1. Do your maths homework: a mortgage will cover the cost of the property purchase but you’ll need extra funds to pay for materials and labour.

2. Get estimates before you commit: it’s essential you know how much projects will cost before you make an offer and start the conveyancing process.

3. Find out the full condition: if the property you’re interested in needs more than a lick of paint, consider a RICS Level 3 survey – the most detailed and thorough that’s available. 

4. Mortgage restrictions: some lenders will not loan against a dilapidated property, so check if a lack of central heating, kitchen or hot water will prevent a mortgage being approved.

5. Live in or live out?: not everyone has the stomach for living in a half finished home. You may have to budget for a short-term rental or move in with relatives while the work takes place.

6. Permissions: if your dream is to extend or remodel, it’s work checking with the local planning department to establish what projects may need planning permission.

We’d be delighted to help you find your next home – and value your current property if you have somewhere to sell. Contact us today and we can start planning your next move.