Is it worth restumping before selling?

Hi Neville,

Thanks for your post. You ask a great question!

When weighing up whether to proceed or not, there are two questions I would consider:

1. How much of the cost will be recouped through a higher end sales price? That is, what is the price differential b/w selling ‘as is’ and ‘selling fixed’? Your real estate agent should be able to give you some advice here.

2. Will doing the work help to sell the property faster?

Although #1 is straight-forward, #2 can actually help by cutting down on the interest on any property loan since the property will hopefully sell quicker.

My gut feel would probably be to sell ‘as is’ but be happy to negotiate a discount on the asking price as a contribution to the works for the new owner. This way you don’t have the worry or cost, and the risk of the restumping causing other problems (cracks needing replastering etc.) is avoided.

Finally, you could always try to sell ‘as is’ now and if it doesn’t sell, do the works and remarket in a few months time at a higher price.

All the best,