Are you preparing to put your home on the market?
The good news is that many experts don't believe the coronavirus pandemic is going to have the kind of impact on the U.S. housing market that some expected. It doesn't sound like there is going to be a considerable housing crash anytime soon.
But the bad news is that there are going to be some people that are a little gun shy about purchasing a home right now. You're going to have to work extra hard to convince them to buy yours.
Here are eight things to fix before selling your house that will make your home more enticing to those who might be thinking about buying it. You can make people fall in love with your home by addressing these issues.
1. Kitchen
If you can only afford to fix one thing in your house prior to selling it, make it your kitchen. The kitchen is, hands down, one of the best things to fix on your house before selling it.
If your kitchen is outdated and/or falling apart, most people aren't even going to consider buying it. They'll see all the work that needs to be done to it and walk right out.
You don't necessarily need to gut and remodel your kitchen to sell your home. But if you're going to have any chance to sell your house fast, the kitchen needs to be in excellent shape.
2. Bathrooms
When you're trying to figure out how to sell your house quickly, starting with improving the kitchen is smart. But once that's done, you should move on to your bathrooms.
Again, you don't need to spend tens of thousands of dollars remodeling every bathroom in your home if you can't afford to do it. But sprucing up your bathrooms even just a little bit will be a great investment.
Unless your plan is to sell your house as is, both the kitchen and the bathrooms will need to show well to potential buyers.
3. Walls
Do you have crazy paint colors on a lot of the walls throughout your house?
You might love these colors. But this is going to be another one of the most important things to fix before selling your house.
Slapping a fresh coat of paint on all your walls will brighten up the various spaces in your home and make them more visually appealing. Just make sure you opt for paint colors that are nice and neutral and not too bold.
4. Floors
Have the hardwood floors in your home seen better days? Are the carpets in your home smelly and looking worse for wear?
It's a good idea to change this by refinishing floors and replacing carpets altogether. Otherwise, they're going to distract people as they walk through your home and make them not want to buy it.
You shouldn't underestimate the importance of having great floors and carpets all throughout your home when selling it.
5. HVAC
Depending on where you live, it might be either really warm or really cold out when you're showing your home to those who might be interested in buying it. It's why you need to have a fully-functioning HVAC system in your home.
If your heating and cooling system aren't keeping it comfortable in your house, you should have it repaired prior to showing your home to people. People will notice that your system doesn't seem to be keeping up if you don't do anything about it.
You might even want to replace your HVAC system before selling your home. It could earn you a great return on investment when people see that you took the time to replace it.
6. Windows
Are the windows in your home more than 15 or 20 years old at this point? It's likely time to replace them with new ones.
Old windows will drag down your home's energy efficiency. They'll also have a negative impact on the way your home looks from both the inside and the outside.
Putting new windows into place in your home will improve its appearance by leaps and bounds. It'll also make your home more energy-efficient and cut down on the amount of time that you have to run your HVAC system.
7. Roof
The average asphalt roof will last you somewhere between 15 and 30 years. After it gets any older than that, it won't be long before it's springing leaks and allowing water to leak into your home.
It also won't be long before your roof starts to bring the value of your property down. Homebuyers will notice the fact that they'll be in charge of replacing the roof if they choose to buy your home.
If you have a leaky roof, you should, if nothing else, repair it. You should also consider replacing it with a new roof so that homebuyers aren't worried about having to take roof replacement on themselves.
8. Curb Appeal
The interior of your home might look absolutely amazing. You might remodel your kitchen and bathrooms, replace old flooring and carpets, and do all the things listed here.
But if your home's curb appeal is lacking, it might not even matter. People will more than likely see the exterior of your home and keep right on going without bothering to look inside.
Spend some time improving your curb appeal so that your home looks irresistible to homebuyers. They'll be intrigued enough to want to check out the inside when the outside has great curb appeal.
These Are Just Some Things to Fix Before Selling Your House
As you can see, there are lots of things to fix before selling your house. You should jump on them prior to listing your house for sale.
By taking on the jobs we've talked about today, you can improve your chances of selling your home quickly for top dollar. It'll also make the home-selling process so much less stressful than it would normally be.
Are you interested in getting more great tips on home renovation projects, house decor, and selling houses? Check out the articles on our blog to find some. Visit the Real Estate section of the Frugal Finance Blog right now to learn more about improving or selling your home.
