Are you looking to sell your home? Does it need to have a lot of repairs before you can get it into what you believe to be salable condition? You have more choices available to you than you might imagine, even when the home needs some work. We will explore some of the most important repairs you might want to make before trying to sell, and then we’ll provide you with another option that you might want to consider using instead to make things a bit easier on you.
Flooring
One of the first potential repairs you might need to make in your home is the flooring. If you have old and outdated flooring, or issues with the flooring, then it might be time for a replacement. You have a range of options you can consider with flooring. Carpeting is one such option, and it tends to be the cheapest choice for all of the rooms of the house that need it. If you are going to replace the carpeting, it tends to be a good idea to replace all of it, not just a couple of rooms. You want it to look good throughout.
If you have ceramic or tile flooring, such as in the kitchen or the bathrooms, a good cleaning and replacing any damaged tiles is usually all you need. However, if the flooring is in truly bad shape, then you might want to pull it all up and then replace it with something like linoleum, which tends to be cost effective.
Hardwood flooring is another possibility, and this tends to be quite popular with buyers. However, if you are going to use hardwood flooring, it might be a good idea to choose one of the cheaper alternatives, such as bamboo.
Painting
Another great way to help get your house into shape so it has a better chance of selling is to work paint it. Paint the walls and the ceilings with a nice fresh coat of paint so that it looks great. It’s easy enough to do on your own over the course of a couple of weekends, and then you will only have to pay for the cost of the paint. Of course, it is also possible to hire a professional to take care of the job for you.
If you have wallpaper in the home, it might be a good idea to get rid of it before trying to sell. People are not usually happy with wallpaper, and it tends to get dingy the older it gets, even with cleaning. Instead, you can remove it and paint over it. If you have old wood paneling in the home, then you might want to follow the same route.
What about textured ceilings? In the past, these were popular, but that’s not the case today. You will want to have someone come in and remove it for you safely – often, it will contain asbestos. Then, simply repaint the ceiling. It looks better, and it will not detract your buyers.
Bathrooms
Many sellers will want to consider repairing or upgrading their bathroom, as it tends to be easy to recoup the cost of these repairs. By improving the flowing in the bathrooms, and upgrading the fixtures and the lights, you can impress potential buyers, who may be willing to pay a bit more for the property. One of the biggest turnoffs for buyers who are going to be living in the home they buy is a bad bathroom.
Clean the bathroom thoroughly and then see what you feel might need to be upgraded to make it more appealing to buyers.
Kitchen
Another one of the areas of the house that can make or break a sale is the kitchen. The cabinets are one of the first things that people see when they walk into this room, so they need to look good. In some cases, this means replacing them, which can be costly. Other times, you may be able to simply paint the cabinets and then apply some new hardware to it.
Again, you will want to check the flooring in the kitchen to see if it might need to be replaced. When it comes to replacement, you may also want to replace the appliance to make sure they are up to date and working properly.
Exterior
You also must think about the outside of the home, which is the first thing people see when they pull up to the place. Make sure the landscaping has been taken care of and that the yard is mowed. Consider painting the exterior of the home, or cleaning off the siding. Paint the front door, add some plants and flowers, and make it look at inviting as possible. In addition, make sure there is no clutter or junk in the yard is going to detract from the property.
The Problem With Making Repairs
As you can see, there are many things you can do to help improve the state of your home and to make repairs that buyers will expect. However, there are some problems with making these repairs that you are probably already thinking about. For example, there is the cost associated with the repairs. Will all of these repairs – not even considering potential roof or structural repairs – be a good idea financially? If you are going to make all of the repairs, you need to make sure you can recoup the costs of those repairs, naturally.
In addition, you have to consider just how long it will take to implement these repairs. Do you need to be out of the house soon? Will the repairs mean you have to wait longer before you can list the property?
What About Selling to Investors?
If you are unsure about making repairs, you do have another option that might work well for you. Consider selling to investors. They will take the house as is, which means you will not have to pay for repairs to the property. They can also buy the house quickly in most cases, so you can move on from the property.