You’ve made the decision. You are going to list your home for sale. What’s stopping you? Maybe your partner thinks the house needs some work before it goes on the market, or maybe your realtor suggested you fix a few things.
This list could go on and on, and take years to complete. Take it from me. My husband and I sold a home in 2016 that we had waited years to list because we thought we needed to fix everything. Not the case. Yes, we painted and patched a few things, decluttered, and staged. Did we fix everything? No, but the things we did focus on helped sell our home.
There are some things you can’t ignore when listing a property for sale. For example, a leaking roof or pest problem. According to a recent realtor.com post from April 10th, the things you need to fix are those that affect the function and operation of the home and major house systems. Everything else is mainly aesthetic.
Okay, I’ll admit. The better your home looks, the faster it will sell. However, with inventory low, many buyers can overlook minor details. Here are five fixes the realtor.com post suggests passing on:
- Fixing cosmetic damage
- Updating kitchens and bathrooms
- Doing partial fixes
- Repainting in trendy colors
- Renovating beyond your neighborhood’s norm
Much of this comes down to the inability to predict what buyers will want, and trends coming and going. It is not worth putting money into your home just to have someone buy it and change what you’ve done. As you prepare for the sale of your home, check out this article and focus on the items that will make your home move-in-ready for potential buyers.
Photo credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Nick Youngson / Alpha Stock Images.
