Making repairs to your house can have a big impact on the final price, and how quickly you can attract a buyer. Before you put your home on the market, learn which home improvements can boost the value of your home and improve the odds of a quick sale—and which may turn out to be a waste of time and money.
A Fresh Coat of Paint
Many home repairs can be costly, but giving your walls and perhaps even your home’s exterior a fresh coat of paint is a budget-friendly effort that can produce big rewards.
Replace Floors
Walking into a home with scratched-up wood flooring, ratty, outdated carpeting, and tired linoleum might make buyers take one step inside and scratch the property from their list. Buyers don’t want to deal with replacing carpet, and giving an allowance is generally not attractive enough. Spring for new, neutral carpeting or flooring.
Fix Water Stains
For buyers, a water stain suggests there could be a dozen problems hidden beneath the surface. That’s why this is one of the things to do before putting your house on the market.
Repair Torn Window Screens
This small repair is very inexpensive and even DIY-able but it makes a big difference.
Update Bathrooms
Replace chipped shower or tub tiles and deep clean grout to remove mildew. If your caulk is looking rundown, replace it. And be sure to fix any problems like dripping faucets, clogged drains, or a toilet that runs. The best return-on-investment projects before selling a home involve making a home look like new.
Clean-up Home Exterior
Mow your lawn, tidy overgrown flower beds, prune trees and power-wash your walkways. Fixing these issues doesn’t cost much — and you’ll get it all back (and then some!) once you sell.
Erase Pet Damage
Fix the damage before listing your home. If you have pet damage, buyers will then start to look for other issues with the home.
Revive an Outdated Kitchen
A full kitchen renovation is rarely worth it when it comes time to sell even though kitchens are still one of the most important features for buyers. Updating the kitchen doesn’t need to be expensive. Painting wood cabinets, updating hardware, or installing new countertops or appliances could be enough.
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