What Not to Fix When Selling A House

Selling a home can feel like a huge task, and the process of getting there can be complicated, time-consuming, and pricey. Before listing your home on the real estate market, you may have a hundred things you think you need to fix, change, or update to make your home ready to sell and attract a buyer quickly. How many of those things will actually help you sell your home? How many are not worth the effort and cost? To help you narrow down your list, here are some things not to fix when selling a house.

What Not to Fix When Selling a House

Some home repairs you can eliminate from your list because they’re too much work for the reward, too expensive to earn back in the selling price, or just not feasible with your timeline.

Cosmetic Repairs

Cosmetic changes and fixes, such as changing paint colors or upgrading the landscaping around your home, are relatively easy to do yourself, but may not be worth the extra effort. Most times, it’s better to leave these changes up to the buyers to customize according to their preferences. 

If your home has brightly colored walls that are loud and distracting, painting with a more neutral palette might be a useful change to make. However, unless the paint or landscaping majorly detracts from your home’s appearance, don’t place these types of repairs high on the list of priorities. Make sure things are clean and tidy, but don’t feel like you need to completely makeover your home before selling.

Updating Kitchens and Baths

Kitchen and bath updates are repairs that make the list of what not to fix when selling a house. Could they help increase your home’s value? Probably, but are these changes worth the time and money? It’s unlikely that you can earn back the costs of these repairs in the sale price for the same time and money you spent. Leave the upgrades to the next owner, so they can get exactly what they’re looking for in a new kitchen or bathroom.

Halfway Repairs

If you can’t afford to make the full repair, don’t do it halfway. Repairing problems with your home with temporary or “creative solutions” are things to not fix when selling a house. It’s better to spend the money to make the repair completely and effectively, or disclose the problem to a buyer than try to do a patch job for a low cost.

What You Should Fix When Selling a House

If your home needs a lot of work, there might be a few things you should fix to help you sell your home. Some traditional buyers may not make an offer before you have these types of repairs resolved.

Major repairs like foundation damage, faulty electrical or plumbing, a leaking roof, mold or water damage, or other major problems should be addressed before selling your home. Although they may not be the least expensive to tackle, any problems that make your home unsafe to occupy need to be addressed before you can sell.

Major repairs are red flags to buyers. If a home needs a lot of expensive work upfront, buyers will be more hesitant to make an offer, unless they can purchase your home for a very low price to justify the extra cost and effort of repairs.

How to Sell Your Home Without Making Any Repairs

If you don’t want to make any changes to your home at all, or can’t afford the major repairs your home needs, you still have options. You can sell your home as-is or sell to a real estate investor for a quick, cash offer.

Sell Your Home As-Is

In an as-is sale, you put your house on the market in its current condition, without making any repairs or updates to the home. You avoid the time-consuming and expensive changes to make your home ready to sell, and wait for a buyer looking for a project. Be aware that, in order to sell your home as-is, you may need to price it competitively. If your home needs a lot of work, only specific buyers looking for a project may be interested.

Sell to a Real Estate Investor

When you sell your home to a real estate investor, you can sell your home as-is, without worrying about what to repair and what not to fix when selling a house. You can sell without a Realtor and on your timeline — often in as few as five days. Real estate investors have the time and capital to make the repairs your home needs, so they aren’t scared off by outdated kitchens, cosmetic repairs, or even major repairs like leaking roofs or water damage. They will make you an offer that is fair for your home’s value, so you can sell your home fast, for cash, without the hassle of a traditional home sale.

If your home needs work on critical issues like the foundation, water damage, mold or roofing, a traditional sale may not be right for you. If you’re interested in a fair cash offer based on the market value of your home, Hometown Development can help. For your free, personalized offer, reach out to us today.