Warm Up Your Buyer!

The fireplace was conventionally the heart of every home, but changing lifestyles over the past four decades have demoted many of them, with many families choosing to huddle around the TV as an alternative.

However, the fireplace has seen a huge revival in popularity as a design feature among buyers, so if you are considering selling, it might be worthwhile investing in a fireplace or revamping your old one before going on the market. There’s plenty available on the decorative fireplace market so shop about, choose one that will suit the vibe of your property and watch it sell!

If you are replacing a bricked-up chimney breast with a fireplace, there are some things you should check before using it as a ‘top’ selling point,

• Check that the chimney actually works. Many have been filled or capped, and in some cases the chimneybreast (usually upstairs) may have actually been removed altogether.
• Don’t feel you have to find an old fireplace for an old house. Many people feel that contemporary fireplaces can match traditional surroundings. Car boot sales, shabby chic shops, Gumtree and even recycling centres can be great to pick up an old fireplace.
• If you don’t have a chimney-breast, a solid fuel stove or log burner can sometimes be installed, even using a horizontal flue through a ground floor wall.
• A fireplace in a large bathroom is a particularly luxurious selling point.
• An instant and more practical alternative to solid fuel is a real-flame gas fire using ceramic coals. Note that you may need to line your chimney and have the emission levels professionally checked.

Check out this useful article from Which? Where they tried and tested some of the front runners in this field big-name brands, including Clearview, Charnwood, Morso, Hunter and Stovax.

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/wood-burning-stoves/article/wood-burning-stove-brands-rated/best-wood-burning-stove-brands

So why not embrace the pleasures of a real fire that gives warmth and comfort and is a more sociable alternative to the TV as the focal point of any room?

It could help you sell your home!