Selling guide

Tips for selling an older home in NZ

There’s plenty of reason to be confident when selling an older home.

Last updated: 4 February 2025 | 5 min read

We recently spoke to CoreLogic’s Chief Economist, Kelvin Davidson, who told us that, despite a property market which slightly favours buyers at the moment, he wouldn’t put off selling his home (if he wanted to), simply due to market conditions.

However, with properties staying on the market a little longer before selling, it’s understandable that some sellers are feeling more apprehensive about listing their home. This feeling can be exacerbated if your home is on the older side, and perhaps in need of some TLC.

But, again, we don’t think these concerns should prevent you from getting into selling your house, if that’s what you want to do, you just might need to do a bit more thinking about how to make your property appeal to buyers.

Selling an older property in NZ: what to consider

1. Get your paperwork in order

Over recent decades, buyers have become a lot more savvy about doing their due diligence on homes before making an offer. This means that you should expect prospective buyers to go through documents like Land Information Memorandum (LIM) reports as well as commissioning builders reports and valuations of a home.

Something that can be a hiccup when selling an older home relates to any renovations that have taken place since July 1, 1992. From that date, building consents have been legally required under the Build Act, whereas, before, only a building permit was required. This means some, though not all, renovations conducted on your home since that date need to have Code Compliance Certificates. This includes renovations that took place before you took ownership of the home, and relates to common renovations like bathroom upgrades.

Having this paperwork ready for buyers to review can help put their minds at ease, despite the age of your home.

But, life is life, and paperwork can get lost. So, what can you do if you can’t produce these documents? Your options include requesting the council to come and assess the renovation(s) retrospectively, which will hopefully result in you gaining a Code of Acceptance (CoA). Alternatively, you could hire a contractor to produce a ‘safe and sanitary report’ which can be used to substantiate the works. The latter option is more common for work undertaken before July 1, 1992.

If you’re going to go down either of these routes in order to get this documentation, it’s important to start the process early, as it can be time-consuming, and may otherwise hold up your selling plans.

Getting your paperwork in order will make selling an older home easier.

2. Be up front about its shortcomings

Homes of all ages have minor maintenance niggles that need attention from time-to-time. But when you’re selling an older home, it’s more likely that it will have more wear and tear that reflect its age.

Shortly, we’ll talk about renovations, and what you should or shouldn’t try to repair before selling a home. But, the simple rule is that if you know of a maintenance issue with your property at the time that you decide to sell it, you need to tell your agent Or, if you’re selling the home privately, you need to communicate these issues directly to potential buyers. This doesn’t mean you have to actively put any and all outstanding maintenance work on your Trade Me Property listing. However, if a buyer asks about something, you need to give them an honest answer. Similarly, if a buyer indicates interest in making an offer, you also need to tell them.

3. To renovate or not to renovate?

Generally speaking, it’s usually a good idea to do the minor repairs and just swallow these (hopefully small) costs. What do we mean here by minor repairs? Things like:

Repairing cracks in windows or your door
Touching up interior paint jobs if they look tired
Cleaning out gutters
Removing plant or moss growth from external walls or the roof
Replacing worn out flooring

You’ll notice that much of the above list is about emphasising your curb appeal. First impressions are key no matter how old your property is. But, if well researched buyers know your home is on the older side and immediately observe signs of that age, they’re likely to also see a big job on their hands to get it looking how they want.

So, those are the little things, but what if you think your house is needing some larger renovations or repairs?

This really comes down to you. If you’re in a rush to sell, then embarking on lengthy renovation works might not fit your time frame. In this case, you might simply decide to lower your asking price, and be up front that the incoming buyer will need to make these repairs.

However, if you have the time, you might decide to do the repairs before listing. The next question is whether you have the skills and experience to renovate yourself, or if you need to call on the professionals? Whichever you choose, it’s important that you fully cost these renovations, and understand how long they will take, so you can understand both the financial and life impacts they’ll have.

Planning renovations? Budget carefully with the current high cost of materials.

4. Set your price accordingly

Setting a home price can seem scary, particularly if this is your first sale, However, your agent will be able to help with this (and should play a major part in this decision). If you’re selling privately, it’s a good idea to check out free tools that can give you an idea of what your home is worth, and/or seek a professional valuation for your home.

It’s generally a good idea, when setting your home price, to check in on the local real estate market, and gain an understanding of what other homes have sold for recently in your area. While this is still absolutely true when selling an older home, it’s important to compare apples with apples. If your home is considerably older than those around you, what they sold for might not be a good gauge. This may be due to factors like the condition of your property and the types of buyers who might be interested in it, compared to newer properties.

So yes, still stay on top of trends in your area, but be aware that your home’s age might impact its value relative to newer properties.

5. Don’t forget to stage

Staging your home is important regardless of its age, but is arguably more important in properties that have been standing longer. This is because staging gives you the opportunity to show that, even though your house might be old, it isn’t tired.

In addition to standard staging concepts like decluttering and depersonalising, key things to think about when staging an older property include:

Making full use of natural light: letting light into your home can really bring it to life so that buyers can see the real potential it has.
Featuring some modern appliances: it can help to borrow some mod-cons when staging an older property to help show that, while the bones might be old, the new owners can live an easy, modern life.
Make it nice and warm: it’s no secret that older NZ homes can be on the cold side, which can be off-putting to buyers, So show how easy it is to heat the place up and make it comfortable.

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Author

Al Hall

Al Hall is a seasoned writer and researcher with a sharp eye for market trends and a knack for turning complex data into practical advice. Contributing to both Trade Me Property and Trade Me Jobs, Al covers everything from the shifting landscape of the housing market to what’s hot (and not) in the world of work. With a background in communications and a passion for helping Kiwis make informed decisions, his articles offer real-world insights to support your next big move — whether that’s a new job or a new home.