Invest wisely in keeping up appearances

In the current tough property market, Kya deLongchamps says sellers neglect repairs and refurbishment at their peril

THE property market is a tough race and with prices already depressed, capable buyers are leading the field.

The sight of a crooked electrical faceplate can inflate latent fears in a viewer’s feverish mind, like yanking the pull on a life-raft. You know it’s a barely loose screw letting the switch leer off the wall, but for the potential purchaser, it fuels a cascade of suspicion of structural problems and decades of neglect. You may think the paint job you did 10 years ago is fresh as an April morning, but all the beady-eyed strollers with the agent will notice is muddy tram lines on the cabinets caused by the prodigal dog, or that tea stain you casually dabbed into the wool pile with a damp rag.