The process of getting a property ready for the market is often a daunting one- so why make it harder on yourself? In some cases (whether you like it or not), you’ll need to take extra steps to ensure that your home is sellable, and that’ll include making needed repairs. To be clear, not all repairs fit the bill- no one expects to buy an absolutely perfect home (and if they do, they should prepare themselves for disappointment), so it’s okay to put your house on the market with some imperfections. Here are a few areas of repair you NEED to focus on before attempting to sell your home:
Mechanical and Structural
Whether it’s the air conditioning and heating systems, water heater, or age and condition of the roof or pipes, every house has a structural/mechanical component that needs to be in good shape before being sold. The main function of a house is to provide for a safe, comfortable structure for people to live in, and if it’s not fully functioning, people won’t want to move in. Not all structural repairs have to be replaced, but any on their last legs should be taken care of.
Exterior
While it’s not vital to the performance and function of the home, maintaining a clean, appealing exterior will go a long way towards enticing potential buyers to make an offer. Start by focusing on the actively unattractive portions of your home’s exterior, and if there’s time/money available beyond that, shift your focus onto sprucing things up.
Landscaping
If your planting beds are in need of fresh mulch, your shrubbery is overgrown, your grass is yellowing or there are overgrown tree limbs hanging over your house, you’ll want to take corrective actions so that buyers can see themselves living in the house and impressing others with its fine landscaping. A negative side effect of leaving landscaping unattended is that it’ll lead potential buyers to believe that the house is a pain to manage, which definitely isn’t the takeaway you’ll want potential buyers to have.
Cosmetic
Before selling, be sure to go through the exterior of your home in fine detail, making sure that there aren’t any major dents or dings in the walls, scratched moldings, or worn paint. If you’ve decided to repaint the house, pick light, neutral and on-trend colors. Choosing a neutral palette will transition well with any buyer’s furniture.
Source: Inman