Are you planning to sell your house any time soon? Selling a house is not as easy as it may sound, especially if you’re selling it for the first time. Potential buyers may look for various things before considering your home for purchase. Even the smallest damage can negatively impact visitors and make your house look worse. You can increase your curb appeal and value by making some simple improvements and easy repairs to your house.
Read through this comprehensive guide on some simple fixtures and repairs you need to consider before selling your house.
Things to Consider Before House Repairs
Before you plan to repair your house, here are some important things you need to keep in mind:
1. Move Your Personal Belongings to a Temporary or New Location
During renovations, you will encounter a lot of dust and debris, which can significantly damage your personal belongings and precious home equipment or appliances. The best way is to relocate your personal belonging to a temporary location or new house before starting your repairs or renovations. Relocating your personal belongings ensures their safety, creates ample space for repairs and makes it convenient to restore or alter the living spaces.
Hiring a professional moving service can save time, cost, and effort. Professional moving services ensure all your belonging are safely removed from the house and kept under a controlled environment in case of temporary storage.
In Australia, summer is the best time to do home repairs and move to new locations. If you’re looking for a certified professional moving service in Brisbane, try Optimove Removals. They are trusted and reliable removalists across Brisbane and its suburbs. Moving your stuff makes renovation projects easier, as you don’t have to safeguard your belongings during the repair or renovation.
2. Get A Permit and Certification
Before you plan to renovate or repair your home, you must ensure that you have a proper permit or certificate from the government or concerned authorities. This is particularly important if you’re planning a large-scale repair or renovation. A permit assures the homeowner or contractor complies with all building regulations and standards.
If you’re hiring a firm for renovations, it’s always a good idea to check their certifications and determine whether they are experienced enough for the job.
3. Plan Your Repair Budget and Time
Repair or renovations may be costly, particularly if you’re doing it on a larger scale. To keep your expenses within your set limit, you should create a repair budget. List everything you want to repair or renovate and take help from your contractor to create your budget. It will help you decide how much money to invest and the choices you can make.
Depending on the project’s scope and the scope of work, a house repair can take weeks or sometimes even months to complete. For example, a kitchen overhauling, a bathroom renovation, or a chimney replacement may take more than a month to complete. Make sure you factor this in when making plans with friends and family and create a minimum repair timeframe so you can plan your move or temporary storage accordingly. The most important thing is to have realistic expectations for the time it will take to complete your renovations.
House Repairs To Consider Before Selling It
A buyer’s offer is often based on the condition of the house and the amount of work required before moving in. If your home has significant damage or structural issues, you may have difficulty selling it or be forced to sell it at a considerably lower price than nearby homes. Before listing your house for sale, you should consider making the following repairs:
1. Check Plumbing Issues
Plumbing issues are a major concern for most buyers. Before you list your house, check all water lines, joints, facets, and gas lines for any leakages or other plumbing issues. Ensure the toilet, swimming pool, hot tub, and appliances are all leak-free and tight. Water leakage not only damages a house’s structure but also triggers mold growth, creates a bad odor, and makes your house look older. Before listing your house for sale, you must fix all leaks as soon as possible.
2. Renovate Your Kitchen
Buyers always look for a spacious, modern kitchen where they can cook and have family time. Open floor plans are a fad nowadays, and people look for kitchens with beautiful islands, open dining and lounge, and high-end appliances. However, your kitchen may not satisfy these desires without significant upgrades. Kitchen renovation is an expensive project so try to restrain yourself from spending extra amount on things you can easily upgrade without a major renovation.
Repaint your kitchen cabinets and upgrade your old appliances and fixtures to give your kitchen a contemporary look. You can also replace the countertops with something more appealing and modern.
3. Freshen Up Interior and Exterior Paint
A vibrant exterior and a modern interior skyrocket a property’s value, and it’s impossible without repainting your interior and façade. Buyers often disapprove of a property with chipped, cracked, or damaged paint. To improve the appearance, you should have a thorough paint job on walls, windows, doors, and exterior.
A house’s color is a big part of how it appeals to buyers. When selling, softer and neutral colors tend to appeal to most individuals and give your home a modern look. Since you don’t know the personal choices of potential buyers, it makes sense to keep the style paramount. However, you don’t have to paint every room; only paint the ones that require it.
4. Remove Wallpapers
It is always preferable to remove wallpaper from a property before selling it. Wallpaper may date a home; therefore, removing it before selling the house is best. Getting rid of wallpaper is about making a property more desirable to a buyer and creating a nice impression.
5. Get a Chimney Sweep
Sellers often overlook chimney repair and maintenance when selling a house. Buyers, on the other hand, inspect chimneys thoroughly for any structural damage, a buildup of creosote, and any cracks or leakage in chimneys. A tilted chimney indicates a major structural problem with the chimney and requires a complete chimney replacement. Before you list your house, hire a professional chimney sweep to clean and inspect your chimney from the inside out. In most cases, a chimney only needs minor repairs and doesn’t cost a fortune.
6. Repair Damaged Floor
A damaged floor is one of the first things buyers look for in a house. A damaged floor indicates rough use and major repair expense. The cost of fixing any damage on the flooring may be high in the short term, but you should know that buyers are extremely choosy when it comes to the floor’s condition. A neat and maintained floor directly impacts a house’s value and curb appeal.
Refinish scuffed or dented hardwood or replace chipped or broken tiles. If you have pets, consider having your carpets steam cleaned or replaced if they are damaged or torn.
7. Fix Lighting Issues and Check All Appliances
Consider a buyer coming to your home. Picture yourself in an undeniably awful scenario where you turn on the lights, but they just do not function. Honestly, no one wants to be in such an uncomfortable situation. Old and worn-out lights are not only an embarrassment for homeowners but also create a bad impression on the buyer and reduce the value of your home. Before you list your house, replace all the lights with new ones, including those in the bathroom and kitchen.
When a buyer visits your home, they’re sure to check all your appliances. Make sure all your appliances are clean and functional. Instead of replacing all your appliances, try getting most of them repaired and make replacements only where necessary.
8. Spruce Up Your Front and Backyard
Your front and backyard, together with an amusing façade, create the first impression before visitors walk through the doors. An enticing landscape, some eye-catching natural features, and beautifully designed patios and outdoor sitting areas can increase your property’s curb appeal and attract more buyers.
You don’t need to allocate heavy budgets to lawn and backyard improvements and repairs. Some simple DIY ideas, homemade decorations, and solar-powered LED lights can spruce up your front and backyard and create an appealing look.
Final Thoughts
Selling a property is a complicated task, but some simple repairs and replacements can make the sale go more smoothly and result in large profits. Consider all the above repairs before listing your house for sale and make a lasting impression on potential buyers.
Also read: Things to Consider When You Are Painting the Exterior Walls
