You may be excited about moving to a new town but if you have to list your current home for sale, you may experience a lot of anxiety. The prospect of leaving a home you raised your kids in and built memories in is a small part of that anxiety. But having to deal with the current condition of your home can be a much greater stress. You’ll need to consider repairs needed before list your home to get top dollar.

Listing your home without regard to it’s condition will likely leave you disappointed with the offers you receive. A home in disrepair can greatly affect the value and asking price.

Real Estate “sold” sign with red brick building and trees blurry in the background

Check major systems

The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems in your home need to be in great shape. A prospective buyer will have an inspector go through your home with a fine tooth comb. If you have a toilet that runs continually or faucets that drip, trust me, he will make a note of it.

Having your HVAC serviced and cleaned is a good idea before you list your home so you are ready for offers. Dirty filters need to be checked frequently and changed at least monthly. A prospective homebuyer will want to see that the home they are considering won’t need expensive repairs in the future.

Be sure you have smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector, to show you’ve been careful about the safety of the home.

Address any water damage

Water damage is a big red flag to prospective homebuyers. Buyers understand that if they can see small areas of water damage that the actual size of the problem is likely much larger than what they see. Water damage leads to mold and mildew and can cause a homebuyer to slam the breaks on the purchase.

Don’t let water damage to go unaddressed. You may want to get a water restoration company to look at the area of water damage to fix the damage in those spots.

Make it fresh

Just because a buyer is looking for a preowned home it doesn’t mean that they don’t want the home to look as new as possible. Fresh paint on the walls and clean carpets make the biggest impact. Clean everything and make it sparkle. It’s not a bad idea to pay a cleaning company to do make ready on the house before you list it.

Clear clutter away and even store extra furniture in a storage facility to give your home a larger feeling. If your home doesn’t sell right away, continue to watch for any problem areas.

Small repairs

Address small repairs around the house. If a closet door isn’t closing properly, fix it. The same goes for cabinets. Fix hinges, cracks, and any other small damage that you’ve lived with for years. You want to make a potential buyer truly desire to purchase your home. Make them fall in love with it. It may take a bit of an investment and some time but that big offer will make it all worth it.

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