If you want to sell your home, you should know what exactly you should renovate and fix because you want to avoid selling the house like a fixer-upper. Why? A fixer-upper is typically a property that requires significant repairs and renovations, which can negatively impact the price and chase away potential buyers. Follow these practical tips to avoid this situation and ensure that your home sells quickly and for a good price.
Inspect the Property Thoroughly
Start with a thorough inspection because you must know the exact condition of the home. To do so, you will need a professional inspector to evaluate the property. They will give you a report of everything wrong and any issue that needs to be addressed, including structural problems or smaller repairs. When you address these issues before putting your house on the market, you can prevent potential buyers from perceiving your home as a project rather than a ready-to-move-in property.
Do the Necessary Repairs
Once you have the list of issues that need to be addressed, get to work. Prioritize them and start focusing on fixing significant issues, including plumbing leaks, electrical problems, roof damage, and foundation issues. These four are great factors that your home’s value depends on, and they can significantly lower your home’s price and scare away buyers. Even though some of these repairs are expensive, they are worth the investment because they will make the house a more appealing and welcoming place, affecting the selling price.
Improve the Curb Appeal
As you know, first impressions matter, especially when buying a new home. Potential buyers will come to see the property you are selling in person, and the first thing they will see is the house’s exterior. If it is not done right and the curb appeal is messy, they might not even decide to look inside the home.
To win first impressions, you must handle the curb appeal and landscaping, repainting, and cleaning the garden. Activities include tidying the lawn, tidying the bushes, and arranging the flower beds. Repainting includes adding a fresh coat of paint on the front door and shutters, while a general cleaning of the windows, the patio, and the driveway is also recommended.
Update the Interior
Minor updates to the home’s interior in areas buyers will first notice can make it much more attractive. These are the kitchens and bathrooms. You can update outdated appliances, replace old countertops, replace old fixtures, and re-caulk tubs and showers. Generally, you can add a fresh coat of paint throughout the home to make it look more inviting. When choosing the color, stick to neutral tones, which will appear to a broader audience.
Depersonalize the Place
When potential buyers check out the home’s interior, they need to be able to envision their life there. So, if you keep personal belongings, which makes the space look like it already belongs to other people, it will be a bit harder to do so. That is why you must take time to declutter each room, remove unnecessary items, and organize what is left. Remove the personal photos, memorabilia, and unique decorations. Leave a clean, minimalistic look that will open up the space and showcase the potential of each room.
Stage Your Home
If you stage the home, you will significantly make a difference in how it sells and at what price. You don’t even have to be a professional stager because you can do it yourself with a few strategic moves. For example, you can arrange furniture to showcase the size and flow of each room and use simple and tasteful decor to highlight the home’s best features. Regarding lightning, you can ensure that the rooms are well-lit by opening the curtains, using higher-wattage bulbs, and adding lamps if necessary.
Price It Right
Another thing to avoid selling your house like a fixer-upper is to give the right price for your home. If it is too high, it may be overlooked by potential buyers for a long time, and eventually, you will have to sell it for less. On the other hand, if it is priced too low, you might not get the total value of your property. That is why you should know the value of your home and compare it to the current local real estate trends. A real estate agent can help you set the right price based on market conditions.
The Role of Property Managers
Property managers can be invaluable resources when selling your home. They can help you through the process by bringing expertise and experience. Here is how they can help you:
- They can provide a comprehensive market analysis to help you set the price competitively.
- They can coordinate and oversee necessary repairs and maintenance.
- They can help you stage the home and advise you on how to stage it professionally.
- They can create a marketing plan to attract potential buyers.
- They can help you with the financial planning.
- They can handle negotiations on your behalf with potential buyers.
Conclusion
Avoiding the fixer-upper label and selling your home quickly and reasonably requires a lot of research and good strategy-setting. You must address necessary repairs, improve the curb appeal, update the interior, declutter the place, stage it, and price it competitively. Additional level leveraging the help of property managers can help you speed up the process and achieve a successful sale.
