Pre-Sale Facelifts
Targeted work before you list. Spend on the things that move the price, skip the things that don’t, and be finished before the first inspection.
Where To Spend
Not everything is worth doing
The point of a pre-sale facelift is return, not perfection. Paint, floors, a tidy kitchen and a presentable facade almost always pay for themselves. A full bathroom rebuild eight weeks before auction usually doesn't.
We'll walk the property with you and your agent's feedback in hand, and tell you plainly which jobs are worth the money and which ones buyers won't notice. We've talked plenty of people out of spending more than they needed to.
- Walk-through and honest scope recommendation
- Priced by job so you can pick and choose
- Advice on what buyers actually notice
- Coordination with your agent's campaign dates
- Staged so the highest-impact work happens first
The Usual List
The work that shifts a price
Most pre-sale jobs are a version of the same list: fresh paint throughout, floors sanded or replaced, kitchen benchtops and handles updated, a bathroom refresh rather than a rebuild, and every small defect fixed.
Individually none of it is dramatic. Together it's the difference between a property that shows well and one buyers walk through mentally deducting from.
- Full interior and exterior repaint
- Floor sanding, polishing or replacement
- Kitchen benchtop, door and handle updates
- Bathroom refresh — regrout, reseal, new fixtures
- Door, window, gutter and trim repairs
Street Appeal
The first ten seconds
Buyers form an opinion before they reach the front door. A tired facade, a sagging fence and an overgrown front garden cost more in perceived value than they cost to fix.
Facade paint, a rendered or repaired front fence, tidy paths and a cleaned-up entry are usually the cheapest points of leverage on the whole job.
- Facade repair, render and repaint
- Front fence, gate and letterbox
- Path, driveway and entry tidy-up
- Roof, gutter and downpipe repairs
- Landscaping and garden clean-up coordinated
Why us
Why clients choose us for this work.
Spend where it returns
We'll tell you what to skip. A shorter scope that sells the house is a better outcome than a bigger invoice.
Finished before the campaign
We work back from your first inspection date, not forward from our start date.
Priced job by job
Itemised so you can drop a line item if the budget needs to shrink.
One crew, fast
Painters, floor sanders, carpenters and tilers sequenced tightly — pre-sale work lives or dies on the timeline.
FAQ
Questions we get asked.
How long before listing should I start?
Talk to us as early as you can, even if it's just a walk-through. The work itself is usually a few weeks, but the earlier we scope it the more options you have — and the less likely you are to be paying for rush work.
What gives the best return before selling?
Paint, floors and street appeal, almost every time, followed by anything that's visibly broken. Kitchens and bathrooms are more nuanced — a refresh often pays, a full rebuild frequently doesn't. We'll give you a view specific to your property rather than a generic list.
Can you work to my auction date?
Yes, and it's how we plan these jobs. Tell us your first inspection date and we work backwards from it. If the date doesn't allow the full scope, we'll tell you what to cut rather than promise something we can't finish.
Will you talk to my agent?
Happily. Agents usually have a clear view of what's holding a property back in your specific market, and it makes the scope much sharper. Send us their feedback with your enquiry.
Do you do this for investment properties between tenants?
Yes — between-tenancy make-goods and refreshes are closely related work. See property maintenance for the ongoing side of it.
Free quote
Get a quote for your pre-sale facelifts project.
Tell us what you're planning. Paul will come back to you, book a site visit and put an itemised quote in writing.
- No obligation, and no charge for the site visit
- An itemised quote in writing
- Paul runs the job he quotes
Get a free quote
Four quick questions. Paul will come back to you to book a site visit.
More services
What else we take on.
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Rear extensions, second storeys and reconfigured floor plans that add the space your family actually needs.
Learn moreHome Renovations
Whole-home and room-by-room renovations — structural changes, new joinery, fresh services throughout.
Learn moreKitchen & Bathroom Upgrades
The two rooms that make or break a house. Custom joinery, stone, tiling and waterproofing done properly.
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