If you’ve ever sold a home, you know how much buyers expect: spotless condition, repairs completed, freshly painted rooms, staged furniture, stylish photos, and more. But when it comes to garages — especially standalone lock-up garages — expectations are dramatically lower.
Today’s buyers have shifted their priorities, and garages simply don’t hold the same influence they once did. Here’s why this works in favour of sellers who want to offload garages quickly and without hassle.
1. Garages Are Less Important in Modern Property Design
Over the last few decades:
New homes increasingly come without garages
Homebuyers prioritise living space over storage
Parking is handled with driveways or street parking
Developers maximise indoor space instead of garage blocks
This shift has reduced the weight garages carry in modern property valuations.
2. Most Garages Don’t Fit Modern Cars
Older garages were built for smaller vehicles. Today’s cars — SUVs, electric vehicles, family cars — are larger.
This makes many garages:
Too narrow
Too short
Too awkward to access
Practically unusable as parking
As a result, garages are more commonly used as storage rather than car space.
3. Buyers Are More Flexible With Garage Condition
Unlike homes, garages don’t require:
Decorating
Modern kitchens
Updated flooring
Stylish interiors
Most buyers simply check:
Roof integrity
Door functionality
Structural safety
Access rights
Cosmetic issues matter far less.
4. Specialist Garage Buyers Expect Problems
Unlike conventional homebuyers, garage investors and fast-sale buyers:
Expect age-related deterioration
Understand the structure type
Are familiar with asbestos concerns
Know how to repair or rebuild garages cheaply
Accept “as-is” condition
This reduces the burden on sellers.
5. Garages Are Attractive as Low-Maintenance Investments
Investors like garages because:
They’re cheap to maintain
They rent out easily in the right areas
They don’t require tenant management like homes
They rarely require utilities
They are simple to own and manage
Because garages are simple structures, buyers worry less about the issues that complicate home sales.
6. Sellers Benefit From Lower Expectations
As a result, sellers enjoy:
Less pressure to repair or upgrade
Minimal preparation before sale
Fewer obstacles during legal checks
Faster, easier negotiation
More interest from investors, even in poor areas
Conclusion
Modern buyers expect far less from garages than from homes, making garage sales easier, simpler, and more accessible. This shift in expectations benefits sellers enormously — especially those with older or unused garages.