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Simple Repairs to Sell Your Home Faster

Posted By Paula Henry on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 10:04:00 PM | 24 Comments

Home Repairs Selling a home can be tricky, particularly during a time when the market is saturated with low-cost homes. As such, it is essential to take a few steps in order to increase your chances of getting your home sold quickly and at a reasonable price.

By making these five simple repairs, you can go a long way toward getting your home sold - irrespective of whether your offering Indianapolis or Montgomery County real estate.

Repair #1: Repair the Floor If your home has hardwood floors, you should seriously consider removing your carpeting and getting the floors refinished. If your sub-floor is plywood, on the other hand, transforming it into a hardwood floor will be far too costly. Rather, replace the carpeting with a neutral carpet color, such as light tan. If you have any ceramic floor tiles that are chipped or cracked, these should be replaced before putting the home on the market.

Repair #2: Apply Fresh Paint Applying a fresh layer of paint to your walls and ceilings can go a long way toward giving your home the facelift it needs. Before painting, be sure to repair any cracks or other damage. Also, itís best to choose a neutral color, such as light tan, when prepping a home for the market. If your walls are wallpapered, remove it and paint the walls instead. The same is true of wood paneling. While composite paneling can be pained, dated paneling should be removed.

Repair #3: Update the Kitchen The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home when it comes to making a sale. While completely replacing cabinets can be costly, resurfacing them by attaching a thin veneer to the surface and replacing doors and hardware will give your kitchen the update it needs. Similarly, updating counters with simple laminates and installing a new faucet and sink will give your home a fresh, clean look that will be more appealing to buyers.

Repair #4: Update the Bathroom Research has shown that homeowners who invest in bathroom renovations typically get back more than 100% of their investment. Simple things such as installing a new floor and upgrading fixtures and lights will help you get your home sold far more quickly.

Repair #5: Fixing the Exterior Having a roof in need of repair is a huge turnoff to many buyers. Therefore, you will likely need to swallow the cost and get the job done if your roof is in need of repair. Other exterior fixes that should be addressed include resurfacing asphalt driveways, patching cracks in sidewalks, caulking windows and doors, fixing and painting fences and replacing doorknobs and locks.

About The Author - Kevin Koitz is a Washington DC native and Realtor and specializes in Bethesda homes for sale.

Discussion

#1 Posted by Ricardo Bueno at 9/14/2011 8:59 AM

I dig this one... Great, straightforward, useful advice!

#2 Posted by Cindy at 9/14/2011 -2:25 PM

Thank you for this helpful and practical advice.

#3 Posted by Karla Campos at 9/14/2011 -2:30 PM

Great tips Paula, when I bought my house the first thing I looked at was the floors and the kitchen followed by the bathrooms so I can say your post is right on the money.

#4 Posted by Sally K Witt, Social Media and Ministry at 9/14/2011 -1:25 PM

Great advice, Paula.
First impressions are so important. Clean and fresh look, smells, and peaceful quiet are so important to a buyer's favorable impression of a home.

#5 Posted by Jeff Hester at 9/14/2011 2:13 PM

Super practical advice. On the flip side, when I am looking to buy a home, I go for the ones that need a little of this work. I can usually get a great deal, and a lot of people overlook them because they need a little TLC. So it works both ways.

#6 Posted by Max Miller at 9/14/2011 2:27 PM

Every place could use a little fixing up. This is excellent advice.

#7 Posted by Marla Schulman at 9/14/2011 3:36 PM

Thanks for the great info- even though I'm not planning to move for a while - it reminds me of a few things I need to do to refresh my home (I moved in 5 years ago!)

#8 Posted by Paula at 9/14/2011 3:57 PM

@Ricardo - thanks for stopping by
@Cindy - You're welcome!
@Karla - I see two type of buyers, those who want a bargain and don't mind a fix-up, but want a low price and then there are those who just want to move in :)

#9 Posted by Paula at 9/14/2011 3:59 PM

@Sally First impressions are key, you never get a second chance and buyers take about 30 seconds to decide whether they like your home.
@Max - So true, I know I have my share of fix-ups to do. When you are selling though, repairs should be done in advance :)

#10 Posted by Paula at 9/14/2011 4:05 PM

@Jeff - Many people do go for the home that needs work and they will do the work themselves for the future equity. Most home sellers who want to maximize their equity should have the home ready with minimum amount of repairs needed. Always true, the buyer wants the lowest price, the seller wants the highest :)
@Marla - Don't we all! Whenever you refresh, remember bathrooms and kitchen are where updates get you most return.

#11 Posted by stacey soleil at 9/14/2011 9:06 PM

Great tips, thx for the reminders!

#12 Posted by Jennifer | Panama City Homes at 9/15/2011 5:59 AM

Paula,
That's a wonderful set of repairs for not only selling, but also maintaining the integrity of the home.

Homeowners must be diligent in protecting their investment for both the present as well as the possibility of selling in the futures.

Best Wishes and continued success.

Jennifer

#13 Posted by Paula Henry at 9/15/2011 6:10 AM

Jennifer - Excellent point! When homeowners decide to update, these repairs will help keep the home in top condition for selling.

#14 Posted by Lisa @ Admiral's Cove at 9/15/2011 -1:35 PM

Paula - This is really great advice no matter what part of the country you are in. My fiance and I are looking for a house. We're really taking our time. There are so many great deals, we are also looking for a home that could use a little of this and a little of that. We are both extremely handy and want something we can work on together.

#15 Posted by Jolenta Averill | Madison homes at 9/16/2011 4:43 PM

Great advice, Kevin! Also, don't forget that a lot of times small defects that could otherwise kabosh a sale can be revealed through pre-inspections (I'm big on those these days) and nine times out of ten my clients are more than happy to make these relatively inexpensive repairs rather than be caught off guard later.

#16 Posted by James @ smyrna ga homes for sale at 9/19/2011 1:34 PM

Potential buyers will indeed look for a home that is well-prepared and I guess your tips will definitely help home sellers to improve their homes, and certainly find a potential home buyer in a short period of time. Great post Paula!!

#17 Posted by Brian@buckhead ga homes for sale at 9/26/2011 1:01 PM

Paula,

I believe that it's necessary that you're home is fully repaired not just to make it appealing to home buyers but it's a way of improving your home to attract more potential buyers. I know this could be helpful not only to home sellers but to homeowners as well. Great post Paula!

Brian

#18 Posted by Corvallis Real Estate at 9/29/2011 2:07 PM

Great article Paula! All 5 of those things are what home buyers look for. By showing you have them repaired will build a trusting relationship between the seller and buyer.

#19 Posted by Real Estate Park City at 10/6/2011 6:19 AM

Remodeling or updating the bathroom is definitely a must in repairing your house if you want to sell it.

#20 Posted by Charlotte Real Estate at 10/10/2011 6:08 AM

There are some exceptional ideas in this post. This information is very useful for the Home seller also Real Estate Agents. You rock Paula! Thanks a lot for sharing these tips.

#21 Posted by Ronnie Arnold at 11/29/2011 3:03 PM

I think this advice is straightforward and simple for anybody who wants to improve their chances of selling their home. I think another great way to sell a home to the preview of the home. Allowing a potential home buyer to try before they buy would give them a first hand experience of the property. It also gives you a chance to show off and highlight the new repairs that have been ,made.

#22 Posted by Leah at 12/5/2011 9:44 AM

I agree with everything stated above.

Some people make the mistake of ripping out their floors, kitchens etc at the same time which causes their homes to look like its under construction. Which it is, but let's not have it look like it's a HUD home.

I believe if home owners renovated one step at a time, it would be less cost effective as well as more organized.

#23 Posted by flooring Houston at 12/16/2011 0:34 AM

Nice advise on repairs. It is really important to do such repair and improvements if you are planning to put your house in the market. Bathrooms and kitchens are the most important parts that should be taken into consideration. Many buyers do want a nice kitchen as well as an elegant looking bathrooms. When helpful tips just like this one are followed, your house would be off the market in no time.

#24 Posted by Bonaire Real Estate at 1/11/2012 5:27 PM

Great tips that need to be considered if you want to be competitive in today's market. Too many properties sit on the market because these upgrades/fixes aren't accomplished.