Electrical issues that can make it harder to sell your home

If you’re looking to make a change this year and sell your home, one of the things you might overlook is your electrics. But if your home’s electrics are broken, unsafe, or simply outdated, people coming for viewings may be adding it up in their heads how much it will cost to fix. This figure might be enough for them to not make an offer.

Discoloured electrical fittings

It’s natural for older white fittings to become uniformly yellow, but brown or black marks around the plug can be an indication that the plug is getting hot during operation. Although some appliances naturally get hot when working, the plug itself shouldn’t get hot at all, especially hot enough to cause marks.

Broken or loose light fittings

Not only do loose light fittings look shabby, they are actually more dangerous than some people might realise. It’s important to get a loose fitting fixed quickly so as to prevent shocks, burns, and fires in your home, and make sure it doesn’t impact your sale

Missing or faulty light bulbs

Lighting is so important in your home, and a diligent buyer will likely test the lights in every room. If the bulb flickers, is dim, makes a significant noise, or just simply isn’t there, a buyer might be put off.

If a bulb is dim or missing simply because you haven’t gotten around to replacing it, it’s a quick and cheap way to immediately freshen your home and make a great first impression.

If it’s dim, noisy, or flickering because of faulty electrics, this can signify a bigger problem in your home which may be off putting to a buyer. You should look to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Outdated wiring

Old fashioned wiring in your home is a huge problem whether you’re looking to sell or not. Old wiring will always lose point for design and style, but it’s also one of the most common causes of house fires so you and your buyers should be making sure it’s up to scratch.

Unfortunately re-writing a house can be a messy, expensive process, but this may put people off buying your home so it’s worth the investment (as well as for your safety while you still live there!).

Multiple extension leads

While we’re on the topic of a house rewire, if a buyer sees a lot of extension cables they will know that there aren’t enough sockets to support a modern household. Lots of extension cables is also a fire hazard, a trip hazard, and an eyesore.

You can get more extension cables added to your home fairly cheaply. Checkatrade suggests it will cost around £100-200 per socket. If you’re already planning a whole home rewire, this is a great time to reassess your plug socket needs.