Guide to Fixing Up Your House Before Selling it

Maintenance and repair of a house is a big factor that determines the value of the house itself. It’s surprising that many homeowners actually neglect their property before selling it.

According to a survey conducted by Chubb in 2018, only 19% of homeowners in the US actually do something to prevent damages to their properties. This is interesting because 73% of the people said that they are “somewhat” concerned about property damage or maintenance issues.

Now, this isn’t ideal if you’re looking to sell your house. If you’re selling your house “as is”, without any repair or maintenance, no one is going to buy it. Maybe except for contractors and flippers.

Now, not only you’ll get more buyers lining up for you if you fix your house first. But, if done right, your house will be more valuable than before. That’s why flippers exist in the first place.

So, let’s get right into it. Here is a guide on how to fix your house up before selling it.

Curb appeal is important

You can increase your house’s curb appeal with landscaping. And landscaping is the best and cheapest way to increase your house’s value before selling it.

You can change the looks of the entire house by adding trees, plants, and flowers, and by trimming the lawns.

Planting native trees in the right places can increase the value of your home and the neighboring houses as well. Young shrubs can be planted slightly apart from each other to leave room to grow. Some plants or flowers that aren’t good enough for the house, should be replaced. You can use perennial foliage for a cheaper alternative.

Fix your kitchens and bathrooms

The kitchen and bathroom are the two most popular parts of the house for home buyers. The first rooms they check are often the kitchens and bathrooms. Updating or fixing kitchens and bathrooms will yield a big return after the sale.

Let’s start with kitchens. You can replace every old appliance if you want. The cabinets are important as well, if you think the cabinets are too old, replace them. Don’t forget to replace the flooring with newer tile.

As for the bathrooms, people are picky when it comes to the bathrooms. It’s not uncommon to completely renovate the bathrooms before selling the home. Flooring, toilets, and fixtures can be replaced with something newer and better.

Plumbing problems

Kitchens and bathrooms depend on the plumbing. Any leaking faucets, water stains, and mold must be repaired and cleaned. No buyers want to deal with problematic plumbing.

Completely seal any leaking faucets or pipes. Check the caulking around the sinks and toilets, if you see any problems, replace the whole unit. Shower curtains might be moldy too and replacing them should be cheap and easy.

Fresh paint

Speaking of simple and easy repair, you can always use a fresh coat of paint for your house. With the right color, your house will look newer and cleaner with this simple trick.

White should be the safest color to use. Other neutral colors should also be safe enough. Using bright red or yellow might be risky. The goal is to appeal to as many people as possible. People might be okay with white or grey, but not blue or red.

The right color can also make the entire house looks bigger than it actually is. You can use wallpaper to make it busier. But keep it neutral and plain.

Other interior improvements

Now it’s time for the finishing touches. Take a closer look at your house interior. Do you see any rusty knobs, damaged walls or fly screens, or broken windows? Replace everything broken, cracked, or dirty.

Don’t forget about the ventilation, air conditioning units, and heating system. Some buyers might check them to see if everything is working properly. Dust the ventilation and change the filters of your AC units. These repairs can be done cheaply, so there’s no reason to not do them.

Invest and maximize your profit.

You can do all of these without spending too much. Remember that the point is getting a big return for your investment.

Some repairs won’t take longer than a few hours. If you want to invest more, you can hire a maintenance person to do it for you. Especially cleaning and repairing certain parts of your house.

With more buyers lining up to buy your home, the price might increase and you’ll get more profit.