Apartment renovation before selling

Preparing an apartment for sale: how it differs from renovating for yourself

When you renovate for yourself, you choose a finish for many years. Before selling, the question is different: what catches the eye at a viewing straight away, and what can be fixed with a small job. These can be stains and cracks on walls and ceilings, a worn floor covering, damaged doors, missing pieces of skirting board, and covers of sockets and switches.

If the electrical wiring, pipes and floor base are in order, they can be left untouched before selling. If they are old, decide whether to replace them yourselves or leave them to the buyer and say so in the advert. A full renovation before selling is a separate decision with a different price; see full renovation.

Documents worth checking before selling

If walls were ever demolished in the apartment or new openings were made, compare the current layout with the cadastral survey file. After a replanning the owners must update this file. If a building inspector finds unauthorised construction, the authority decides on restoring the previous condition or on a permit to build after the requirements are met, and the owner of the building pays the costs. If there is such a question, write it in the request; for legalisation see replanning without approval.

The electrical wiring inspection is carried out once every 10 years, and the results are recorded in an inspection report. If there is a report, it can be shown to the buyer. An apartment in an apartment building must have a stand-alone smoke detector, at least one on each floor of the apartment; this is a small job to do before viewings.

Renovation before selling in the usual order

1. List of work Room by room, write down what is damaged: cracks, holes, stains, a worn covering, doors, skirting boards.
2. Minor repairs Damaged socket and switch covers are replaced, doors adjusted, skirting boards repaired. See minor repairs.
3. Preparing walls and ceilings Cracks and holes are filled, the surfaces are skimmed and primed. Rough surfaces and surfaces skimmed with dry mixes are primed before painting.
4. Painting Walls and ceilings are painted in two coats. The manufacturer of Tikkurila Euro Smart 2 states that the second coat can be applied after 2 hours (+20 °C, 65% humidity), but the paint reaches its final hardness in about a month, so fresh paint can be easily scuffed at viewings.
5. Floor covering A damaged covering is replaced or, if it is parquet, can be sanded and varnished. See laminate installation.
6. Final jobs Skirting boards and door casings.

What the seller decides

• Whether to renovate the whole apartment or only the rooms that look worse.
• Whether to change the floor covering or leave it to the buyer.
• Whether you will choose the materials yourselves; write that in the request.
• Whether someone will live in the apartment during the renovation; then see renovation while living in the apartment.
• When viewings will start, so that the final jobs are finished by then.

How much does renovation before selling cost?

Cosmetic renovation: from €100/m² of apartment area. If only part of the work is needed, the estimate consists of separate lines: skimming walls or ceilings from €10/m², painting walls or ceilings from €4/m², laminate installation from €6.50/m². Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a room of 15 m² with 40 m² of walls. Skimming 40 × €10 = €400 and painting 40 × €4 = €160, in total from €560. If laminate is replaced in the same apartment in a room of 18 m²: 18 × €6.50 = from €117.

The price is affected by the area and the number of rooms, the condition of the walls, floors and ceilings, and the chosen finish. All prices: prices.

What this work includes