What to Fix and What Not to Fix When Preparing Your Home to Sell

By: Kelly Vandever

What should you consider fixing when getting your house ready to sell? If you want to sell your house quickly and for the most money, there are things you can do that will help that happen. If you have the cash to spend, putting it into your house in the right ways will make it more attractive to more buyers, resulting in you selling faster and for a bigger profit. The longer a house sits, the more the price goes down.  Price it realistically, and you’ll be able to get it sold even without repairs.  But go too high in your pricing for the condition, and it will take forever. Let’s talk about what to fix and what not to fix when preparing your home to sell.

1. Clean

If you hate cleaning, hire someone to do it for you. A super clean house is the best thing you can do regardless of anything else you do. Bathrooms, baseboards, furniture, nooks and crannies, get them clean. No one wants to purchase a house that looks like the inside of a garbage can.

2. Start packing and declutter

Pack you as many things as possible.  You’re going to be moving anyway, so start the process now. If it’s something you still use, then before pictures are taken or before house gets shown, stash out of sight. Remove your alarm clock, nick knacks, family photos, and religious icons. It’s hard for a buyer to imagine themselves living somewhere when it’s filled with someone else’s things.

3. Fix what needs fixing

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that by fixing things you’ll get more money for your
house. Generally, people just expect things to be in good shape. The more things potential
homebuyers see that they have to fix, the less appealing your house will be. Granted, if you’re getting ready to sell, you want to put the least amount of money into fixing up your home before you list it. If you’re not handy and can’t do these things yourself, ask your real estate agent for a recommendation of a handy man or woman.  

4. Paint

If your walls and trim are in good shape, there aren’t scuff marks, and your home is painted in neutral colors, you can probably get away without painting.  But be sure to look closely, wearing glasses.  People buying a home love to see fresh paint listed because they know it’s one less chore they have to do. You’ll save a lot of money if you paint yourself, provided you have skills to do a good job, but its easy to hire someone to take care of it for you. Either way, it’s almost certain that you’ll benefit more in the final price you get for your house. If you have wallpaper, remove it and paint the walls instead. Choose a neural paint color.  A light gray or grayish beige color works best. Neutral colors help a buyer imagine their own furnishings in the space. And did you know that paint actually helps neutralize smells? Bonus!

5. Flooring

Generally speaking, wood floors are considered more desirable than carpet. If you already have wood floor, that will be helpful for you. If you have carpet and your carpet is old and worn out, get it replaced.  Seeing new carpet is one less project for a buyer to worry about. Don’t spend money on getting the best carpet and pad.  You won’t be living there. But new carpet gives home buyers something to appreciate for being new. 

6. Out with the old fixtures

Gold light fixtures and doorknobs were all the rage in the 90s.  If they’re still in place, it’s a dead giveaway that you probably haven’t updated anything else either. You can get inexpensive fixtures from your big box stores, and just that little update can help make things look newer and fresher. Replacing all the fixtures and doorknobs and drawer pulls could add up, price wise. 
 
7. Kitchen and baths

Kitchens and bathrooms recommendations should be made on a case-by-case basis. If you were going to continue to live in your home, doing updates to kitchens and bathrooms that you could enjoy for several years are a good thing and will increase the resale value of your home. But updating everything about a kitchen and bathrooms, just to get ready to sell, may be a mistake and you may not get your money back out of the investment.  Talk to your agent for advice. 

There may be a lot of things you have to fix in order to sell your house, but its easy to be smart about it when you make a list of things that need to be done. Try writing out everything there is to do and mark your most important priorities. I hope you found these tips on what to fix and what not to fix when preparing your home to sell helpful!