Turning a house into a home is a gradual albeit painstaking process. Home improvements and making fixes is just a tiny part of making the space more amenable to live and raise a family. However, the likelihood of us spending the rest of lives in one house is highly improbable. So, before selling a house and moving into another one, having things to fix is a given.
When you are living in the house, procrastinating repairs to do is understood. Most times, those pending repairs just become the little things we come to love about the house. But before selling a house, those things you must fix pile up and end up burning a hole in your pocket.
Making those repairs before selling a house that too in a timely manner will only help put more money in your pocket. Here is a list of number easy repairs to do before selling a house:
- Paint before selling a house –
One of the cheapest and easiest home improvements you can make before selling a house in slapping on a new coat of paint on it. It even helps modernise the look of the house and gives it a new vibe altogether. It is a DIY activity and you do not even need a professional painter to make it work. Go in for lighter shades when painting before selling because that appeals to more people. You also don’t have to paint every room in the house. Just focus on the rooms that have a dark coat of paint. In case the house has wallpaper, remove it before selling a house. Using a wallpaper only dates the look and feel of the house.
- Focus on the kitchen – Most people consider the kitchen as the beating heart of a house. Making the kitchen pristine should be on the top of the list to things you must fix. But do not pour all your money into revamping the kitchen. Only make those repairs that are financially viable. That means check the pipes and water pressure and make it one of the first repairs to do in your list. Also, don’t make any changes unless your real estate agent says they can get that money back when selling the house. Add a new coat of paint, install new fixtures if and when required and replace countertops before selling a house. It goes a long way in lining money in your pocket when the house is sold.
- Make sure the bathroom is something you would buy –
Of all the things you must fix, the bathroom should be your top priority. The rule of thumb is to fix it up and make improvements to it till it resembles something you would buy. Small repairs to do like fixing a leaky faucet or a running toilet go a long way in assisting the chances of the house being sold quickly. Adding missing tiles and cleaning out the grout also helps a great deal. If the bathroom has old wallpaper, kindly remove it and apply a new coat of paint to it as well when painting the whole house. Whenever a potential buyer inspects a house, they focus more on the kitchen and the bathroom so that is where majority of your home improvements should be focused on too. - Focus on the exterior – When anybody comes to buy a house, the first thing the buyers witness is the exterior of the house. It should be one of the key things you must fix before selling a house. While a white picket fence and a swing may seem like an ideal setting in a movie, it is not the case in real life. Trim those bushes regularly or hire someone to do it, fix that fence and plant more grass in the yard if the need so arises. Also, plant some flowers of different varieties. Nothing invites a person to a house more than dozens of beautiful flowers. But don’t invest money in trying to landscape. That costs a lot of time and money. Something you may not have if you plan to move real soon.
Final Words
A few other things you should inspect before selling a house are: check if the central heating is working or not, check whether the roof is leaking or not and check for other structural issues in the house.
The real estate market being what it is, investing in home improvements is the best way to get the most out of your old house so that you can invest in a new place. If the list of things you must fix is long and you want to cash out quickly, you may consider a selling it to a real estate investor. Even in that case, there are some primary repairs to do before you choose to shake on it.
