Has the doer-upper lost its shine?
First-time buyers, once the doer-upper’s natural market, have changed their priorities – and what they want now is certainty.
For decades, the doer-upper held a particular place in British life: the tired house bought cheap, done up over years of weekends and sold on as the home it always promised to be. It was a habit born of make-do and mend. Today’s buyers have grown up differently, in a world where most things arrive finished, and new research from property group LRG suggests their expectations of a home have followed.
In a survey of more than 700 buyers and sellers carried out in Q2 2026, just 6% of buyers said they would actively look for a property needing significant renovation, and a slim majority, 53%, won’t take on significant work at all. The largest single group, 41%, remain open to a project, but only where the asking price genuinely reflects the work involved. The appeal of the doer-upper has not disappeared; it has simply been repriced.
The clearest shift is among first-time buyers. Once the doer-upper’s natural constituency, they are now among the most condition-conscious buyers in the market, with 20% ruling out major work entirely, against just 4% of family movers. Just 5% would actively seek a project, and the 43% who remain open to one will only consider it where the asking price reflects the work involved. What they want instead is certainty, a home they can live in from day one, at a price that holds no surprises.
Where first-time buyers do take on work, the data suggests the motive is more necessity than appetite. Nationwide research published in May found that two-thirds of recent first-time buyers had bought a cheaper property because it needed work, and that three-quarters ended up doing more than they had planned.
The sums help explain the shift. Analysis by lender Octane Capital, published in June, put the cost of refurbishing a typical doer-upper at £85,000 or more, while the Building Cost Information Service forecasts building costs will rise a further 14% over the next five years, with labour the biggest pressure. As the cost of work climbs, the discount a doer-upper offers buys less of the renovation it requires, and a home in good repair is often the better-value purchase, even at a higher asking price.
First-time buyers in LRG’s survey were clear about what that means for sellers. “Sellers shouldn’t underestimate the cost of work needed, price accordingly,” said one. Another observed that materials and labour costs have risen, so “refurbs no longer cost the same as you thought a few years ago”.
Commenting on the data, Mark Manning, Managing Director of Manning Stainton, part of LRG, says the figures match what he sees on the ground:
“Buyers haven’t fallen out of love with homes that need work. They’ve fallen out of love with paying twice, once at the asking price and again at the builder’s merchant. The doer-upper was once seen as a way for first-time buyers to get on the ladder, but also to make money when the property was eventually sold. This is no longer considered a sure thing, so many are opting for convenience rather than taking the risk.
“With more homes on the market than we’ve seen for years, a doer-upper only sells when the price genuinely covers the cost of the work. Sellers who accept that from day one do well. Those who price for the finished house, rather than the one they’re actually selling, watch interest dry up within a fortnight, and that opening fortnight is when a sale is made or lost.”
Nor is the renovation project simply being saved for later life. Downsizers, who might once have treated a doer-upper as a retirement project, are now the most insistent of any group on a home that’s ready, with a quarter wanting to move straight in and enjoy it, and just 3% actively seeking a project. Across the life stages, buyers now prize the home over the project. The exception is investors, though a small group: around a third still actively seek out renovation opportunities, drawn by the value to be added.
“None of this means homes needing work won’t sell,” concludes Mark. “They will, and the 41% of buyers open to a project at the right price represent a substantial market. What has changed is who carries the cost of the renovation. In 2026, buyers expect the answer to be the seller, priced in from the start.”
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Has the doer-upper lost its shine?
