
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-holding-miniature-wooden-house-7579135/
There are so many guides out there for helping homeowners fix their households up before market listing, and of course, those are necessary. But you may already know what to do in order to fix up your home, because a lot of it is common sense.
For example, maybe you’re more than happy to use the best bathroom remodelers before you move forward with the listing, because you know this is where appraisers and prospective buyers look first when gauging value. Maybe you’ve trimmed your lawns, or repaired your fencing. Perhaps you’ve oiled your door hinges or replaced the garage door that was dented. All good investments.
But what about the issues that can harm your home value? It’s good to know what tripwires an impartial appraiser might stumble over and reduce your household value as a consequence. It’s also usually the places you haven’t looked so far that can cause the most issues. In this post, we’ll discuss what those issues may be, and how to fix them up before you move forward:
Remove All Furnishings
Taking all your furniture out might seem like a good way to show off the interior, but empty houses can feel cold and unwelcoming to potential buyers. Without any furniture to give rooms scale and purpose, you could find that buyers struggle to understand how spaces work in practice and whether their own belongings will fit comfortably. It sounds shallow, but it’s true.
A completely empty house can also make buyers wonder if there’s something wrong with the property that you’re trying to hide. Also don’t forget that bare rooms echo more, which makes any creaks or settling noises seem much worse than they actually are. Leaving some basic furniture in some rooms helps buyers visualize the space properly and creates a more homely atmosphere that encourages them to imagine living there themselves, which isn’t a bad idea.
Refuse Fixtured Repairs
Ignoring broken fixtures because you think buyers will just replace them anyway is a mistake that can cost you thousands in your final sale price, unfortunately, even the logic is somewhat sound. Sometimes, if a buyer sees wobbly handles or dripping taps, they don’t just see the cost of fixing that one problem; they start imagining all the other maintenance issues that might be waiting for them.
Even small repairs that cost you fifty dollars to fix can knock hundreds or thousands off what buyers are willing to offer. It’s a little crazy, but it’s true. The best bathroom remodelers know that buyers often use visible maintenance issues as negotiating points to drive down the price, so fixing these problems upfront usually pays for itself several times over in the final sale amount.
Leave Windows Uncleaned
Dirty windows are one of the quickest ways to make your house look neglected and unloved, which immediately puts buyers off before they’ve even stepped inside. It’s easy to see that grimy glass blocks natural light and makes rooms appear smaller and darker than they actually are, which works against everything you’re trying to achieve in a house viewing.
Luckily, clean windows cost almost nothing to sort out but can very much help the first impressions both from the street and inside each room, so we’d definitely recommend booking that in before you list the house.
With this advice, you’re sure to avoid cratering your household value before putting it on the market.
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