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Simple Repairs to Help Make Your Home Show Better and Sell Faster

By
Real Estate Agent with UTR Texas-Realtors Tx. #0599060

Are you thinking about selling your home and want to make the most money you possibly can?
Consider this, aesthetics are one of the key points in selling your home. If you'd like to make a strong
first impression on a potential buyer, there's no need to for you to break the bank or spend countless
hours on repairs to your home. In fact there are eight simple and inexpensive repairs you can make that
will improve your home's look and impress buyers and result in a quick and effortless sale!


1. First Impressions!
The first impression your home gives, is the most important one. So it is vital that the exterior
of your home is inviting. There's no need to invest in expensive landscaping, instead make sure
your lawn is nicely mown (lay down fresh sod if it's dying), trim any unkempt trees, bushes, or
hedges, and consider planting a few fresh flowers. As for the exterior of your home, replace any
missing roof shingles, replace any worn/rusted address numbers or repaint the numbers on your
curb, make sure your front door is freshly painted if need be, if your driveway has oil/grease
stains invest in a cleaner from a local home improvement store. Give attention to detail, clean
what needs to be clean. Sellers can normally expect a100-percent return on the money spent on
their home’s curb appeal.

 

2. Kitchens & Bathrooms Come First.                                                                                                                   When it comes to the interior of the home, buyers most often remember kitchens and bathrooms. The simplest repairs in these rooms can go along way. These include replacing the hardware on any cabinets and drawers, replacing the sink and bath/shower faucets, replacing any broken tile or old/dated linoleum flooring, installing new towel racks, and installing new lighting fixtures. You may even consider repainting the walls and cabinets a nice neutral color.


3. What's that smell?
You can try hiding it with scented candles, potpourri, sprays, air fresheners, and fresh baked
cookies, but, if your home smells bad, buyers are going to notice! So remove any offending
odors before you show your home! Have a pet? Remove its litter box or bed. Are you or
someone in your house a smoker? Make a new rule, that all smoking is to be done outside. The
smell of cigarette smoke lingers, sometimes a fresh coat of paint is the only solution. Also,
make sure you launder all of the bedding in the house, and make sure the kitchen and bathrooms
are free from the smell of mold or mildew. The smell of a home can make or break its sell!


4. Fresh Paint.
A fresh coat of paint can make the exterior of your home look clean, modern, and up to date.
Consider using only neutral colors that will attract all types of buyers. Before you begin
painting make sure to repair or fill any holes in your walls left behind from nails, screws, tacks,
etc. Fill these holes with a wall putty from your local home improvement store and sand smooth
when it's dry.


5. Flooring.
A homes flooring gets the most havoc wreaked upon it, and it is one of the most expensive
items to replace in your home. Instead of putting in entirely new flooring, consider only
replacing the areas with the most traffic such as the entrance and kitchen. If that is too
expensive instead replace or repair any broken tile as well as grout, deep clean and remove any
stains or marks on carpets, make sure there are no gouges or scratches in any linoleum flooring,
and fill in any cracks that have formed in any wood flooring.


6. Let there be light!
Detail clean all of the windows in your home, and replace any window screens that are weather
worn, bent, or ripped. You may consider replacing any bent, twisted, or missing blinds. Once
your windows are as clean as they can be, consider removing the drapes to let as much natural
light in to your home as possible. A well lit home goes a long way, so you may want to replace
any broken or burnt out light-bulbs throughout the house as well.


7. The Roof and Ceilings.
Make sure there are no missing shingles or visible damage to the roof of your home, also, make
sure to repair any possible leaks and paint over any unsightly water stains that have appeared on
the ceiling over time.


8. Time to go to Goodwill (Spring Cleaning Time)!
No, this isn't exactly a repair, but, it will go a long way in making sure your home is sold. Deep
clean your home from top to bottom and make sure to get rid of any cobwebs, dust bunnies,
mildew, or mold before ever showing your home to the public. If you are still living in the home
while you show it, it is imperative that you de-clutter as much of your personal items and
furniture as possible to give your home an open feeling, and allow your potential buyers to
picture their own items in the house.
You want your home to look as presentable and appealing as possible. You want buyers to be able to
focus on 'Where will my bed go?' and 'Can we live here?' rather than, 'Oh no, there's a problem with the
roof.' or 'What was that awful smell in the dining room?'. Make these simple repairs, and your home
will stand out on the market!

 

Please contact me at (713) 823-2284 to discuss stratgies to quickly list and sell your home.

Posted by

Michael Scruggs

Realtor

UTR-Texas, Realtors

713.823.2284

Show All Comments Sort:
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

If the simple things are not taken care of the pride of ownership suffers and so does the price

Jan 31, 2016 06:37 AM
Michael Scruggs

You are absoulutely right William.  Thank you for reading my blog!

Jan 31, 2016 07:36 AM
Gabriel Misters
HomeSmart Realty Group - Orland Park, IL
'Half man & Half amazing working for you'

Good reading Michael...

Jan 31, 2016 10:46 PM
Michael Scruggs

Thank you Gabriel and thank you also for following me! Have a great day!

Jan 31, 2016 10:59 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Michael, you did a GREAT JOB of identifying the key areas homeowners need to pay attention to! 

Jan 31, 2016 10:57 PM
Michael Scruggs

Thank you for the re-blog of my post.  I hope it helps someone looking to sell their home.

Jan 31, 2016 11:08 PM
Michael Scruggs
UTR Texas-Realtors - Houston, TX
ABR, CNE, TAHS

Thank you Joan for commenting on my blog. I appreciate it very much!

Jan 31, 2016 10:59 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

This is good information for home sellers. Thank you for sharing.

Feb 04, 2016 08:14 PM
Michael Scruggs
UTR Texas-Realtors - Houston, TX
ABR, CNE, TAHS

Thank you Gita for reading my blog post.  I apprciate your comments!

Feb 04, 2016 09:39 PM
Mary Yonkers
Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA
Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor

Good morning Michael Scruggs Good list of thing sellers need to focus on before putting their home on the market.  Hope all is well.

Mar 14, 2016 08:46 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

This is excellent advice to share with prospective home sellers.

Mar 15, 2016 11:30 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Michael - you are spot on with this information.  All those little things add up to one great first impression

Aug 02, 2016 04:35 AM
Diana White-Pettis
Bennett Realty Solutions - Upper Marlboro, MD
GRI, CDPE, CNE, WHC Upper Marlboro Homes for Sale

Michael,

Great Post!  First impressions of a home's exterior will either have a buyer interested in finding out what the inside looks like or deciding not to stop and move on to another property.

Diana

 

Jan 12, 2017 09:02 PM