6 Important Repairs to Make Before Selling Your Home

Taking care of the most important things to repair before selling a house will put more money in your pocket! Sellers don’t want to spend money to make repairs before selling.

The bathrooms and kitchen are areas where buyers will focus. They are also the most expensive areas in a home to upgrade.

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. Leaving repairs for a buyer is not a smart thing to do if you are looking to get the most money for your home.

1. Exterior

The exterior is the first thing buyers will see, so you want it to look good. Powerwash the exterior, replace missing fence boards, add sod to the yard, and clean up any junk that may have accumulated. Make sure the grass is mowed and that weeds are taken care of before someone comes to view the home. Plant some flowers in the beds to add color and make the place feel homier.

2. Paint

Paint is the easiest way to update the look of your home before you list it. 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.

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. 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, install new fixtures and replace the cabinet hardware to boost the look.

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 make the toilet look much better just by replacing the seat. 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.

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.

Don’t forget natural lighting, either. Ditch the heavy drapes for light-colored curtains that let them in the sun.

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.

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 inspection can help you identify issues and fix them before you try to sell your home. 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.