Depending on what kind of market we’re in, depends on what you should do with your house. Some people want a fixer upper house with light repairs. Others want new appliances in a home. In other words, they want a picture perfect house that shows the amount of money they placed down for it. Here’s a secondhand quick 10 step improvement guide for what to do before putting your home on the market:
1. Patch all cracks and holes in the walls. Really, buyers don’t want to show off their new home to friends that looks like they’ve been living in for years.
2. Fix all broken appliances. Ever here the sang “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it?” Well, if it is broken, fix it!
3. Repair leaky faucets. If you don’t then water will leak onto the carpet in your home and create a funky odor from the mold that developed. Ew. Get what I’m saying?
4. Replace worn carpet. Although carpet is supposed to be not as important as say, re-doing your entire kitchen, nobody likes to step on dirty run down carpet. Fix it.
5. Repaint walls with neutral colors. Do not use white and nothing that screams too loudly. Let the brightness show off of your personality.
6. Replace broken windows. Get modern windows that show off how lovely the home is. Nobody wants a home that looks like it’s straight out of a mob movie.
7. Repair the roof. South Florida experiences a lot of hurricanes and tornados. I heard that certain roof tile colors are still hard to find, but do your best to replace the roof. I know it can be pricey.
8. Change out dated light fixtures and ceiling fans. Think 2008+ when you go into making these changes for your home.
9. Fix code violations. Enough said.
10. Re-do the kitchen. After bedroom space, the kitchen is the most essential room in the entire house. It’s where the magic happens. It should be updated with new light fixtures, counter tops, cabinets and appliances.
In today’s Buyer Market, it’s important to create the illusion of a new home with updated appliances. Not only will you get a bid faster from buyers, but you will learn a lot about what to do in the event of another slow down in the real estate market.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
In these tough economic times, it’s especially important that you get your moneys worth.
I have worked as a home inspector for 11+ years. We have inspected everything you can think of. One should never buy or sell a house without the home being inspected.
Mr D Salvato
Founder of
HomeInspectionServices.org