When considering selling a property most people assess the usual list of details that affect the homes value; the location, the decor, the views, crime rates, double glazing - all of which are important. But one thing that’s often overlooked is plumbing. The taps work and you have hot water. What more thought do you need to give to it?
There are a plethora of plumbing issues that can affect a home’s value. Here We Buy Any House explore the plumbing issues that can send a property’s value plummeting that you need to double check before selling.
Before you sell - The most important thing you're going to want to do before selling is have a plumber come and inspect the property thoroughly. You don’t want prospective buyers to come in, view the property, and find issues.
Corroded pipes - Many older homes will have used materials like iron or galvanised steel for pipes which will corrode over time. These small corrosions can quickly lead 
to large scale leaks that you might not spot to begin with, especially if the pipes are hard out of sight. Not sure how to check if you have older pipes? Have a look at your shutoff valves and faucets. If these look like relics of a distant past it might be an indication that your pipes are too!
Poor hot water supply - There could be a couple of reasons the property is suffering with a poor hot water supply. The most obvious is that it’s running off a gravity fed system. If this is the case invest in having a pressurised water system in place. The other issue may be with your hot water flow rate. It could be that your boiler is undersized (a common issue where a new bathroom has been fitted). The solution here is to invest in a larger boiler.
Drain smells from waste - If the fall from the sink basin is too long after the waste trap self-siphonage may occur which means draining the water air lock in the trap. This in turn means some pretty awful smells. A vacuum in the waste trap can also begin to release bad smells.
The best solution for this issue is to install fit anti-siphon traps.
Length of time for water to turn hot - If you have a combi boiler system then there’s not much you can do to improve the amount of time it takes for the hot water to reach a bathroom. You could introduce a store of hot water in the room which would help ensure speedier improvements in water temperature.
It’s important that you look to ensure that all of the above are thoroughly checked and fixed before property viewings begin, as they’ll all be detrimental to you home’s value and saleability.
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