Top 6 Home Repairs to Make Before Listing Your Home

Written by Artisan Contracting on July 17, 2017

If you’re thinking of selling your house, you’ll want to make sure that it’s in tip-top shape to attract buyers. In addition to a thorough cleaning or staging, fixing minor problems, and making repairs or upgrades, will help you polish your home’s overall look and appeal. You want to make a good first impression for potential buyers so they will see the good qualities of your home as opposed to its flaws; just make sure to avoid the most common home renovation mistakes.

Most real estate agents will tell you that buyers are usually interested in a property that they can move into immediately. If your home looks like it’s in need of obvious repairs or upgrades to operate optimally and efficiently, they will look elsewhere. If your home is up-to-snuff and shows signs of consistent maintenance and loving care, this appearance improves your property’s value and increases the chances of a quick sale. Your home will be more attractive to prospective buyers and potentially lead to a higher net profit.

Here are the top 6 home repairs to do before you list your home.

6. A Fresh Coat of Paint

This is a relatively cheap and easy way to spruce up the inside or outside of your home. Painting not only freshens up the look, but it can also help hide other problems, such as watermarks or smoke stains. Make sure to repair any nail holes in the walls ahead of time and use light-coloured, neutral tones. These lighter colours appeal to the widest range of potential buyers and help make rooms appear more spacious.

5. Flooring

In today’s real estate market, wood floors are a major draw for buyers. Having wood floors in your home can add an average of 6 percent to the selling price of a home. If there are any scratches on your floors, give them a facelift with any of the numerous products on the market to hide markings.

If you have carpet over your wood floors, it’s worth the effort to remove the carpeting and spruce up the wood flooring.

If you have carpeting, have it cleaned by a professional company and pay close attention to removing any stains, (pet or otherwise) that will detract from your home.

4. Lighting

Lighting is an effective way to show off your home.  It can create an ambient atmosphere that welcomes prospective buyers, so turn all the lights on to show how bright and airy it can be. However, make sure that all of your lights are working properly and replace any expired light bulbs. To display your home in its best possible light, install light bulbs with a higher wattage in dim areas of the home to make them look more inviting.

3. The Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home, so you want to showcase it in its best possible condition.  Make any necessary repairs, like fixing drawers, cabinets, damaged laminate on the countertop, chips, hinges, leaking faucets and replacing old sinks with new ones. If your countertops are old and have seen better days, consider replacing them with something trendy, like granite.

2. Bathrooms

Bathrooms are big attractions for possible buyers and where family members spend a lot of time. It’s important that everything in this space is working properly, so replace or repair, old leaky faucets or even consider replacing with something more contemporary. Replace the grouting around the tub, shower, sinks or toilets if necessary. If you have tile in the room, repair any damaged or chipped pieces on the floor, wall, ceiling or other surfaces.

1. The Exterior

This is where first impressions are made, so take a good, hard look at your exterior to boost your curb appeal.

• Repair any cracks in the driveway or sidewalk in front of your home.
• Repair fences and consider repainting them or replacing them if necessary.
• Make sure all door knobs and locks are working properly and do not appear rusty.
• Plant fresh flowers for a colourful, visual appeal.
• Roof repairs should be taken care of immediately, particularly before inspection time when you get an offer to buy.

Final Thoughts

By making any necessary repairs or replacements either inside or outside, you have a much better chance of closing the deal and getting good market value for your home.

Check out the rest of our blogs for more home improvement tips!