Selling a pre-owned home in this market necessitates that yours be in tip-top shape before putting it up for sale. Typically, any previously occupied house harbors a certain amount of wear and tear associated with time. Consequently, it is highly unlikely that your home is an exception. Therefore, here are ten of the top repairs to do before selling your home:
- Fix The Electrical Wiring
With the majority of home and household fires attributed to problems related to electrical or electronic mishaps, the need for proper wiring before selling your home is highly crucial. Luckily, there is a broad range of probable solutions across the electrical spectrum for you to employ such a fix. However, these fixes vary between the extreme ends of your potential budget. You are likely to have relatively cheaper repair options alongside more expensive renovation work in a single evaluation.
If you find your electrician to be plainly exorbitant or unduly costly, note that there exist specific professional sources of information for a more comprehensive estimate of your projected electrical costs. Therefore, as the current homeowner, you have to make prudent judgment compared to your expected returns. Always keep the affordability notion in mind, since you need to recoup this cost from your imminent home sale.
- Repair Faulty and Malfunctioning Outlets
In addition to the electricians’ opinions regarding your wiring, seek their consultation on the condition of your outlets too. With one eye on your potential returns, you are likely to consider DIY. However, such a move is inadvisable. This scenario implies that you need to inspect all your end-point wiring, fuse box, and socket condition before contacting a realtor. With this context in mind, are there exposed or faulty junction boxes hidden in your basement? Do you lack any wire nuts?
Also, examine your outlets for signs of malfunctioning light switches and frayed wiring. Finally, make sure your electrical standard is up to code and relevant regulations. Typically, most jurisdictions will examine your circuit breaker for compliance with the legally set current limits. Hence, for hassle-free marketing, you better get on with any electrical obligations before putting your home up for sale.
- Clear The Drainage Channels
How the water from snowfall, sleet, and rain flows away from your house is an essential factor to look into and carry out appropriate renovations if needed. Additionally, switch your attention to the state of the gutters, furrows, trench drains, and downpipes. You have to get rid of any obstacles clogging these channels before declaring your home in the market.
As it happens, such restoration to your drainage needs to go without saying. Even a novice realtor would point out these apparent oversights to you ahead of time. Also, note that you could encounter a possibly massive revamp that calls for the replacement of downspouts, gutter extensions, or construction of storm drains anew. As a result, you must prepare psychologically for some budgetary fluctuations coming your way.
- Grade Your Yard Slope
Usually, any problem you may have with your drainage is probably due to unsatisfactory grading. Insufficient grading is also responsible for a water-logged and damp lawn or backyard around your home. For your house to avoid this predicament, your net gradient should have a general slope away from the actual structure. However, you have to be discreet with the nature of this gradient lest you end up with an unappealing perceptible slope. Having a swampy backyard or bogged lawn is typically the cause of structural damage and foundational compromise. Indeed, it would be acutely disheartening for you to miss out on an excellent deal on account of the unsatisfactory grading of your yard.
- Repair Your Roofing
Depending on the extent of your drainage problem, the backup of water obstructed by a clogged system typically results in a damaged roof, eventually. For an assessment of your roofing status, examine your indoor living spaces for any signs of leakage. Presumably, a telltale damp region or stain upon your ceiling should be the smoking gun. Despite this inconvenience, remember to inspect the external condition of your roof as well.
Plan to conduct the appropriate repairs in case of rotten fascia boards, impaired flashings, or entwined shingles. Also, excessive heat exposure, such as the houses in Nevada, results in damaged shingles. However, due to your probable lack of proficiency in home improvement, you need to factor an expertise input into your renovation budget too. Having a reliable roof above your head is a high selling point for almost all homes in the market. Therefore, for better quality, seek professional assistance from qualified roofers.
- Ensure A Firm Foundation
A weak foundation would inevitably lead to a structural collapse in the future. Moreover, no discerning home buyer would risk their family lives with an unstable home. Alarming signs include slanted floors, inappropriate gaps, mismatched door frames, and wall cracks. Now, to ensure that your foundation is up to scratch, consider improving the integrity of the surrounding ground surface. You might wonder, “With this undulating surface, how can I sell my house? ”Well, you could adhere strictly to the earlier drainage and grading recommendations. With vigilance, you should avert the possibility of a bogged yard enclosure around your house and compromising its stability.
- Enhance The Aesthetic Appeal
You may regard frayed carpeting, fractured pavement, broken tiles, fissured driveway, and peeling paint as minor, but you could not be further from reality. Note that these slight inconveniences will go a long way in swaying those buyers sitting on the fence one way or the other. Besides aesthetics, these often overlooked repairs add value to your house, hence giving you an advantage. Be mindful of carrying out all the necessary upkeep work and especially the refurbishment of all that you consider insignificant. Once done, your home should be ready for the grueling competition for potential buyers.
- Service and Refit Your Plumbing
Few things are more of an eyesore to a homeowner than leaking within their house plumbing. Beware of a potential plumbing oversight when making your home ready for sale. A plumbing problem invariably results in water damage, which, in turn, leads to a progressively worsening situation down the line. Eventually, you fail to add value to your house based on the lack of a water pipe inspection initially.
- Provide Functioning Ventilation
Along with the plumbing, you may take the opportunity to squeeze in a check of your ventilation system too. While upgrading your ventilation, you could inspect, amend, and fix the heating and air-conditioning concurrently. You would not want anyone selling you a house that turns into an icebox in the winter, would you? Make sure that the air-conditioner functions as expected as well. Nothing irritates more than a malfunctioning AC during a heatwave, either. For instance, the sun-ridden houses in Nevada should not lack this vital amenity. Hence, for profitable returns, make sure that these ventilation systems are in excellent working order before selling your home.
- Carry out Lawn Maintenance
For most prospective home buyers, having a well-manicured hedge, well-maintained picket fence, perfect backyard, or a neatly mowed lawn is a huge plus. Therefore, if you happen to own a home that boasts of such amenities, you can quickly add value to your house by carrying out these simple upgrades. Specific individuals would snap up a fixer-upper only to make a financial killing later after merely remodeling its backyard. Therefore, make sure that your external environment has a captivating appeal and expect an excellent selling price for your home.
Conclusion
There you have it. As you can surmise, a few things need to be in order before jumping at the chance to put your home on the market. However, with an honest commitment to applying the repairs outlined above, you should add value to your house eventually.
