What to Repair in Your Charlotte Area Home Before You List
When representing buyers or sellers, I often find myself saying, “Put yourself in the [buyers] sellers shoes.” It is understandable if a seller feels hesitant investing money to fix up their current house prior to selling. However, as a seller, you may not realize that some of the issues you live with everyday and consider minor, may actually be considered major to home buyers. Such issues as the hallway light switch being loose or the kitchen sink that has a plumbing issue, can actually be deal-killers following the buyers’ home inspections.
These issues may even prevent buyers from actually making an offer on your home - or making a lower offer. It’s crucial to keep your house presentable and in good shape before you list it on the market but, it’s also important to make necessary repairs (those that would be considered general maintenance), in order to make top dollar on the sale of your home.
What repairs might you want to consider before you list on your house on the market? Here are just a few, starting from the top:
Roof Problems
A roof is one of the most important components of a home, protecting all that is underneath. Additionally, roofs are major expenses to replace. Therefore, it is imperative to keep the roof well maintained and free of damage and leaks. Issues like water and sun damage, clogged gutters, and rotting will lead to bigger issues if not fixed timely. Tending to these items immediately will help prevent further damage and help present the home well.
Plumbing
Plumbing problems can result in minor or major issues and it is very important to take care of these issues right away as they can lead to further (and much larger) problems. Larger problems, such as water damage can lead to fungal growth and easy fixes to leaky faucets can be done very inexpensively. When you consider the extended damage a plumbing leak can cause (cabinet rotting, sub-flooring rotting, structural damage, fungal growth, etc.), it’s the cost of those repairs compared to a swift, simple initial repair of the leak… Well, there really is no comparison!
Wiring
Electrical problems can cause a wide variety of problems. Smaller fixes such as faulty switches, missing wire nuts, or damaged junction boxes can be fixed with a good electrician. Replacing a circuit breaker might be needed if they don’t match the amperage of your home. Some repairs are obvious to see and others aren’t so it’s a good idea to run a pre-inspection of your house before listing. After, review it with your Realtor® because they can advise on which ones are top priority. The most common electrical items that we see here in the Charlotte market are areas that do not have GFCI (grounding) outlets. It’s a cheap fix but, a safety issue that can thwart a deal.
Basement/Crawl Space
Water intrusion is THE #1 item that will kill deals! As a seller, if you’ve lived in your home for five years and never been in your crawl space - or at least peeked in - rest assured, your buyer will find something that needs addressed in the crawl. The thing is, when most buyers hear water intrusion, structural integrity, fungal growth, rotten wood, moisture control needed, pier needed, dehumidifier needed, termites or any other negative about a crawl space, it’s scary! To them, those are high-dollar items and they don’t want to have to deal with anything when it comes to the crawl space or basement.
HVAC
Regardless of how fastidious you have been about having your HVAC serviced, have it serviced just prior to listing your home. The HVAC is another ‘big’ cause of deals falling through and it is so easy to avoid with a simple servicing…and, of course, repair of any defects the company finds.
*I have a reputable HVAC company who does servicing for me personally, and a lot of my clients as well. I am happy to share contact information with you. Be careful who you hire to do this - MOST HVAC technicians are required to up-sell the customers and they do a very convincing job of it in order to keep their jobs and to increase their own bonuses. I have seen this many, many times in my time as a Realtor® and again, can give you reputable companies who do NOT up-sell. Call or text me at (704) 491-3310.
Poor General Maintenance
Minor issues such as damaged flooring, paint chipping, and old carpeting can be easily repaired or replaced to give your home a minor make-over. Your goal is to make your home appealing so start by replacing anything that is heavily worn and adding a fresh coat of paint - especially to the front door but, that’s another article topic! These minor upgrades can be inexpensive because you’ll most likely see a return on investment. Even though damaged flooring is truly a cosmetic issue, your buyers will notice and will likely either ask you to make the repair when they make the Offer on your home or they may take a very generous amount off of the sales price to cover it themselves. They may simply not make an Offer on your home, thinking that if you didn’t replace a broken tile or another issue that you think ‘small,’ you’ve left unseen items in need of repair.
One rule of thumb for all sellers to remember about leaving items for the buyers to tackle - no matter what the item/issue is, the cost, in their minds, will be TWICE what it really is! That is why I encourage sellers to just make the repairs - don’t give an inspector a lot to find. Doing so, you will stand a far better chance of seeing the sale of your home through to the end.
SELLERS
If you're thinking of selling your Charlotte home, let's talk! As with everything in life, preparation is key and I will equip you with what you'll need to get you, as seamlessly as possible, through the home-selling process. Call or text (704) 491-3310
*References from any of our sellers are available upon request. Read our reviewswww.CharlotteRealEstateAgentReviews.com.
Hiring the RIGHT Charlotte Realtor® is critical to your home selling success too!
© Debe Maxwell | The Maxwell House Group | RE/MAX Executive | CharlotteBroker@icloud.com | What to Repair in Your Charlotte Area Home Before You List
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