Most Important Things to Repair Before Selling a House
June 27,
2016 by
It is easy to miss a lot of the wear
and tear that happens to your house over the years. But when you start thinking
about selling, the state of your home becomes much clearer. You know that there
are things that need to be fixed and cleaned up. However, you only have so much
money and time to make repairs. So, what should you fix?
Keep in mind, articles like this one
are meant to provide general advice on what works for most people. Ideally, you
will have a real estate agent you can talk to who will look at your particular
home and give you targeted advice – which will get you the best results for
your circumstances. But even if you are working with a Realtor, this
information can give you a starting point on what to discuss with your agent
about possible home repairs.
Taking care of the most important
things to repair before selling a house will put more money in your pocket!
This is one of the primary reasons real estate agent recommend taking care of
certain things before you list your home.
Repairs Worth Making Before You Sell
1. Paint
Paint is one of the cheapest, easiest
ways to update the look of your home before you list it. And you don’t need to
be a professional painter to make this work for you, either. Watch a few videos
online, pick your colors and go to town!
Lighter and neutral colors are
preferred when selling because they tend to appeal to most people. You never
know who will walk through the door to view the house, so it makes sense to
keep the styling primary. You don’t have to paint every room, necessarily, just
those that obviously need it. Rooms with dark paint, chipped or dirty paint are
the ones that will benefit most.
If you have wallpaper in your home,
it is almost always a good idea to remove it to sell your home for the most
money. Wallpaper dates a home. Buyers have a hard time selling past wallpaper.
Some sellers assume a buyer should just be able to “look past it.” They will
say to their agent we will give the buyer an allowance to remove the wallpaper. This is a mistake as it
defeats the purpose. Getting rid of wallpaper is all about first impressions
and making a home more appealing to a buyer. Removing the wallpaper is what
puts more money in a sellers pocket.
Just the other day I was having this
conversation with one of my clients in Holliston Massachusetts. It was imperative to
make them understand how important the initial visit is to a home and the
impression it makes on a buyer.
2. Exterior
The exterior is the first thing
buyers will see, so you want it to look good. Replace missing fence boards, add
sod if the yard is looking the worse for wear, and clean up any junk that may
have accumulated in the yard or on the outside of any storage sheds. Make sure
the grass is mowed and that weeds are taken care of before someone comes to
view the home. You can also plant some flowers in the beds to add color and
make the place feel homier. Here are some low-cost exterior home improvements worth doing.
Moss growth on the roof, missing shingles, and
problems with the siding are all things that buyers will notice. Try to get all
these things patched up now so you don’t have to answer questions about it
later.
3. Kitchen
Everyone wants a large, spacious
kitchen with all new appliances – where they can cook and entertain (even if
they never do either). Now your kitchen may not satisfy these desires without
significant upgrades, which may not make sense financially. Do not do a
complete kitchen renovation unless your agent tells you that he or she believes
you can make your money back on the sale.
However, you can make some minor
repairs that will make your kitchen appear more inviting, even if it isn’t a
“dream kitchen”. If the painting, lighting, and countertops all scream the
1970s, you can change all of these without too large of an investment. You can
paint as necessary, install new fixtures and replace the countertops to
something more appealing (granite and marble are not a requirement for an
updated look). The price of solid surface materials, however, has come down in
recent years so it might be worth getting an estimate for installing granite counter tops, especially when
the kitchen counter space is not huge.
As far as appliances go, buyers are
going to expect these to work. If the oven, dishwasher or range are out of
operation – or in awful shape – replacing them might be necessary to appeal to
buyers.
4. Bathroom
A clean bathroom – one where
everything works as it should – is a necessity. If you have a problem with a
running toilet or a leaky faucet, make repairs as necessary. You can cause the
toilet look much better just by replacing the seat. Cleaning up the grout or
replacing it is always a good idea, as it can become dirty over the years. Any
missing tiles should also be replaced.
If the bathroom has old wallpaper or
dingy surfaces, a new paint job is recommended. The brighter and cleaner you
can make the room, the better. The bathrooms and kitchen are the most important
areas in a home. These are areas where buyers will put their focus. They are
also the most expensive areas in a home to upgrade. This makes it vital for you
to repair any issues before putting your home up for sale.
5. Lighting
Lighting can make even the smallest
home seem open and inviting. You want to maximize the perception of space, so
you will want to take advantage of the many lighting options now available. You
can learn more about lighting different spaces online and find a variety of
affordable lighting options that will be far superior to the current overhead
or stand lights in your house. Take some time to analyze your current space and
see if you can find some ways to improve the lighting. If you have “dated”
light fixtures this is another area that for a little bit of money invested can
translate into a quicker sale.
Don’t forget natural lighting,
either. Ditch the heavy drapes for light colored curtains that let the in the
sun.
6. Refinishing Hardwood Floors
Without a doubt, hardwood floors are
one of the most popular flooring selections in a home. As Debbie Gartner, the
owner of Floor Coverings International in Westchester NY explains the look of
wood floors can totally change the appearance of a home. This is the type of flooring that most home buyers prefer.
What does this mean when you are selling? It means that you have your hardwood
floors looking their best. Refinishing your hardwoods when they need it can
totally change how a buyer views your property. There is nothing like entering
a home where the hardwood looks spectacular. The great thing about refinishing
hardwood floors is the return on investment which is very high.
6. Functionality
Go to your home and make sure
everything works as it should – from the small things like doorknobs and locks
to bigger stuff like your garage door. Everything doesn’t have to be new for a
home to be desirable to buyers, but all the functional aspects of the home must
be in good working order to fetch the best price. A few broken components are
all it takes to start driving the price down, so get them fixed.
One of the smartest things a seller
can do is be ready for the buyers home inspection. More
home sales fall apart at the home inspection than at any other point in time
during a transaction. This leads to the importance of know what the most common
home inspections issues are and dealing with them beforehand! Some very
specific issues can kill home sales. If you are aware of any of
these problems it is important to address them before putting your home on the
market.
7. Pre-Sale Inspection
One crucial way to avoid the
problems that can swiftly end a home sale is to have a pre-sale home
inspection. A pre-sale home inspection can help you identify
issues and fix them before you try to sell your home. Unless you are a
professional contractor, a real estate agent or a home inspector, you are
probably going to miss a few things as you go looking for problems with the
home. And even if you are a professional, a home inspection will still be
required before a lending company will loan a buyer money to purchase your
home. If you don’t find the problems now, you will be forced to deal with them
later before you can finalize the sale.
Have an inspector look over your
home, fix whatever is broken and then move forward with your sale – confident that
you have covered all the bases.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, there are other important
things to repair before selling a house like a heating system that does not
work, a roof that is leaking, previous ice dam problems, structural issues or something
that would prevent a buyer from getting a mortgage. It goes without saying that
if the purchaser cannot procure a mortgage, it will be awfully difficult to
sell your home. Cash buyers do not grow on trees. So if you don’t have an
unlimited budget to make repairs, indeed tackle the issues that would stop a
sale from happening first. Once those concerns are addressed, you can then
focus on some of the other important things I have mentioned above.
Leaving repairs for a buyer is not a
smart thing to do if you are looking to get the most money for your home. If
your home is in deplorable condition and you are just looking to get out with a
quick sale, you might want to consider selling to a real estate investor. There
are companies out there like We Buy Ugly Houses who will purchase your home
from you for cash with no contingencies. Of course, a company like this is not
going to be paying you the market value for your home. This is for those
sellers who are desperate to sell and get some remaining equity fast.