If you’re planning to sell your house, one of your first questions will be how many upgrades and renovations you’ll need to make to get the best price or a faster sale.
Homeowners often have the question of whether they will recover home improvement costs at the sale of their home through an increase in their home value.
Fixing up a house before a sale can be expensive, so you’ll want to spend money on renovations that will attract a potential buyer. Any real estate agent can tell you the upgrades that matter most to potential buyers.
Knowing the renovations that will increase a home’s value and speed up a home sale will bring you a higher return on investment. This realtor-approved list of what to fix and what not to fix when home selling will boost your home’s curb appeal and send more prospective buyers your way.
What to Fix When Selling a House
Any realtor will tell you that some repairs are musts before selling your home. These items include everything from decluttering to major repairs that a home inspection would point out. These include:
Water Damage
Warped hardwood floors, water stains on ceilings, and other signs of water damage are often deal breakers for a home sale. Whether from flooding or a leaky roof, water damage can cause major problems such as mold. This can send potential buyers running from your real estate.
Water damage can mean replacing walls and flooring, essentially taking some rooms down to their studs to repair damaged areas. This can be a huge but necessary hassle.
Repairing water damage can cost thousands of dollars. If you don’t want to spend that much to sell your water-damaged house, consider asking for a cash offer for your house as-is.
Foundation Issues
Hairline cracks inside your house can indicate problems underneath it. A home inspector will spot the signs of foundation problems, which can cost $25,000 or more to fix.
Home buyers will want to make sure sellers fix any foundation issues before the home sale is final since foundation repairs can be expensive as well as a hassle.
If you don’t want to spend the money foundation repair will cost, consider asking for a cash offer for your house. Companies such as Gem State Cash Offer that make offers on houses that need repair won’t expect expensive repairs on a tilting or cracked foundation.
Leaky Roof
Every home inspection will include a roof examination. Normal wear shouldn’t be an issue, but if your roof leaks or is missing shingles, you should make repairs. If you don’t fix your roof, potential buyers will ask that it be fixed before closing on the property.
A new roof costs as much as $14,000 or more, so it’s not a minor expense. Roof repairs can’t always be made because of weather conditions, so roofing repair or replacement could cause delays.
If you don’t want to spend that much or don’t think you’ll see a return on investment from putting a new roof on your house, consider getting an offer on your house as-is. Your leaky roof and related damage won’t have to be fixed for you to sell your house quickly in Idaho.
Landscaping
Curb appeal is essential for more showings. You don’t have to do a yard makeover, but decluttering your yard of tools and toys, keeping the grass trimmed, and adding a few blooming plants can make your home more appealing.
After all, an overgrown yard and a patchy lawn won’t make a good first impression with potential home buyers.
If you don’t want to make the changes needed for curb appeal, consider asking for a cash offer for your home as it is. That way, you can sell your house fast without the hassle of landscaping to attract potential buyers.
Heating and Air Conditioning Issues
HVAC problems are likely to turn away home buyers. Whether you’re in the southwest where AC is a must or in New York where the winters are blustery, having heating and air conditioning that works is important to home selling.
A home inspector will check the HVAC system before the closing to make sure the system functions properly. The inspection report will include details about the HVAC system and whether it needs repairs. Potential buyers will expect those repairs to be made.
While potential buyers will insist that the heating and air conditioning of your home be in top working order, a cash buyer won’t. Selling your home as-is for a cash offer means that your HVAC doesn’t have to work for you to sell your house fast.
Average Costs of Repairing a House for Sale
The costs of repairing or replacing an HVAC system can be $5,000 or more, and foundation work can cost more than $20,000. A new roof is $8,500 to $14,000. Water damage can cost as much as $7 per square foot, so that can run into thousands of dollars.
If you don’t have the money to spend on the repairs necessary for selling your house, you have another alternative. If you want to sell a house fast in Idaho, you don’t have to make these repairs. Cash home buyers in Boise will buy your house even if it needs a new roof or has foundation problems.
We Buy Houses Meridian is the solution to selling a house that needs repairs in Meridian, Idaho, and the surrounding area. Selling an ugly house can be faster and easier than you think.
Things Not to Fix When Selling a House
Home selling doesn’t require a home makeover. Sometimes homeowners make the mistake of spending too much on repairs and aesthetic improvements that won’t affect the sale price.
Remember that wear is normal in a home. Home buyers want to see your home’s potential. They don’t expect your home to be perfect, and they may be looking forward to choosing paint colors and redecorating after they move in.
You won’t need to make these five home improvements before selling your home, saving you time, money, and the hassle of making the home repairs yourself or hiring others.
Minor Electrical Issues
Electrical problems that are safety hazards should always be repaired. Old wiring, exposed wires, dangling light fixtures, or an outdated electrical service panel could spark a fire and won’t meet electrical codes.
Minor electrical issues such as loose outlets, a light switch that doesn’t go to anything, or a dead outlet may not need to be addressed. Some of these issues won’t even show up on an inspection report.
If you decide to get a cash offer for your home, you won’t have to make any repairs, even in areas that are safety hazards.
Cosmetic Flaws
You should address some cosmetic flaws if they affect the home’s curb appeal since you’ll want your house to make a great first impression at showings. However, replacing hardwood floors because of a small scratch or countertops with normal wear.
A home seller doesn’t have to present a flawless home since normal wear is expected. Some cosmetic fixes will increase the chance of real estate showings going well, though.
Those selling their homes as-is for cash offers won’t have to make any of these home repairs. They can sell their homes as-is, without the expense and hassle of large repairs and minor fixes.
Driveway or Walkway Cracks
While curb appeal is essential to selling a home, few home buyers will decide not to buy a home because of cracks in the driveway or walkway. From New York to Idaho, cracks in driveways are common. Home repairs on driveways and walkways aren’t needed to sell your home.
Make a great first impression by power-washing your driveway and walkway to remove stains. Make sure lawn edging is done around driveways and walkways for a neat first impression.
Cash buyers for homes that need repairs won’t expect repairs to driveways, walkways, or any other parts of the home. Within a month of receiving a cash offer, homeowners can sell their homes that need work quickly instead of making major repairs and minor cosmetic fixes.
Removable Items
Decluttering your home will help potential buyers see its features. Too many pieces of furniture, clutter, and overflowing closets will make your home look small and crowded. Decluttering will make your home and its storage spaces look spacious. Remove valances to brighten rooms, and if you repaint, choose neutral colors to make rooms look larger and more versatile.
Making this fix isn’t a must to sell your home, nor is staging, which can cost hundreds of dollars to prepare for showings. If you sell your home as-is, you won’t go through the hassle of moving your furniture and belongings until you’re ready to move out.
Cash-offer home sellers don’t have to worry about curb appeal or making a good first impression at house showings. They can sell their house without making any repairs through a cash-offer real estate company.
Old Appliances
A range or stove that isn’t working would need to be replaced, but not other appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers. Often home buyers will take those appliances with them when they move in, or they may want to choose their new appliances.
If you’re planning on a kitchen makeover to get a higher offer on your home, focus on a new faucet or kitchen cabinets instead of new appliances. Home buyers would rather have their own appliance choices but would appreciate the form and function of built-in storage, a roomy sink, and new countertops.
Cash buyers for homes that need repairs won’t care if you have new appliances, either. No kitchen repairs will be needed to sell your house for a cash offer.
Grandfathered-in Code Issues
If your home was built 20 years ago to the building codes of its day, then you will not be required to have everything meet the current standards. Your home may be grandfathered-in, although home buyers can request that you bring some areas of your home up to today’s codes.
By law, a home inspector has to report areas that are not meeting current building codes, but that does not mean you have to make home repairs in all those areas to sell your home. Their lender will require an inspection report but won’t mandate repairs to grandfathered-in code issues.
Of course, if you request a cash offer on your home as-is, you won’t have the hassle of dealing with code issues. You can go from offer to closing in about a month without having to make any home repairs, even on issues that are safety hazards.
Conclusion
Today’s real estate market doesn’t require home repairs for home resale. You may even get your asking price or more if you make those repairs or schedule a kitchen remodel. Trying to make your house look like a new home can be expensive, not to mention a hassle.
If you don’t want to make all the home repairs an experienced real estate agent will recommend, there is another way to sell your damaged house in Idaho.
Gem State Cash Offer helps homeowners throughout Boise, Idaho, and the surrounding area sell their homes without the hassle of extensive and expensive home repairs.
Call or request an offer online for your real estate property. Representatives of Gem State Cash Offer will meet you at your home, or you can send them pictures of your property. You’ll receive a cash offer and can move toward closing with no fees or delays.
You don’t have to deal with the hassle and expense of home repairs or trying to make your older house look like a new home to sell it. Get a cash offer for your home as it is today and move on with your life.