Although repairing your house before selling it can increase its market value and impress many potential buyers, you should avoid significant repair and home improvement projects. Avoid starting projects of any type, including room upgrades, that may not be completed prior to listing your home for sale. Works-in-progress can negatively impact a prospective buyer’s impression of your home. “A half-finished anything looks worse than just leaving it as is,” says Upton. “It also sends a signal that the seller ran out of money, so a buyer may think they can offer less because they believe the seller may be in financial distress.” (1)
So you need to be very smart when planning to sell your home. You should stage it properly, but avoid repairing the following things.
Some Cosmetic Flaws
Your home should look perfect for listing and viewing. However, you should try to fix some cosmetic issues that are less expensive and easy to complete. You can do some painting on the home’s interior and exterior, and that will give your home a new face. Many we buy houses OKC companies and individuals will like your home and present fair cash offers.
However, you should leave some cosmetic flaws that will require a significant budget and time to complete. For instance, if your home has damaged countertops in the bath or kitchen, you should leave that project as it will be more involving and costly. If you start it, you will likely not complete it on time and you may spend a lot of money on it, which you may not recover from the sale proceeds.
Although many potential home buyers want a move-in ready home, some cosmetic problems may not limit them from buying your house. They will buy it and take care of the cosmetic issues later. So there is no need to spend your time and money fixing all cosmetic issues unless your home has a serious underlying problem. If individual home buyers won’t like it as is, OKC we buy houses companies will be ready to buy it for cash.
Minor Electrical or Plumbing Issues
If your home has major electric issues like old wiring, exposed electrical wires, dangling light fixtures, and ungrounded outlets, you should fix these issues before listing your home or calling cash home buyers. In addition, you should fix serious leaks or any other major issue in your plumbing system. Why? Such issues are risky and show that you have neglected your home for so long.
However, minor electrical issues like a light switch attached to nothing, and such minor issues should not worry you. Also, if a minor plumbing issue like a faucet drips water before stopping that should not give you sleepless nights. Potential buyers as well as we buy houses in Oklahoma City agents know that such issues are common and are not costly to fix. So if you don’t have time or the skills to fix them, just stage your home as is and it will still get a buyer.
Old Appliances
When listing your home for sale, you must highlight what sets it apart. The smartest sellers will use terms like “newly outfitted” kitchen, “state-of-the-art appliances, and much more. But do you need to replace your old appliances to impress potential buyers? Not Really. You can replace the old appliances, from the refrigerator to the dishwasher, if you have enough money for the project.
But if you don’t have the money and the appliances are functional, you should leave them as they are. We buy houses OKC agencies and interested buyers will only check if the appliances are functional. And if they are, they will go ahead to present a fair offer for your property. It is not advisable to replace or upgrade the appliances as you may not be able to recover the cost when you sell your home.
Removable or Replaceable Items
If your home has aging windows and main entrance doors, replacing them may sound like a perfect idea to make the property more appealing. But will it be worth it? It may not be wise, especially if the windows and doors are not damaged. Instead, you should deep-clean them because replacing them can be a costly endeavor. Most buyers won’t care about old doors and windows.
In addition, you should remove damaged furniture. Instead of thinking about replacing or repairing the furniture pieces, you better remove them from the space and rearrange the items. If your carpet is stained and can’t be cleaned, it is advisable to remove it to expose the hardwood or tiled floor. So don’t struggle to fix removable or replaceable items as most we buy houses in Oklahoma companies and interested buyers will still buy your house as is.
Outdated Flooring
Installing new flooring in your home when selling it is not advisable. The project can take weeks and can be expensive depending on the flooring type. So you may not complete the project on time. Instead of thinking about replacing your outdated flooring, you should consider deep cleaning it, to make it look like new. This will help you save time and money. However, you can fix sections with visible signs of damage.
Major Room Upgrades
Avoid projects of any type like kitchen and bathroom upgrades, that may not be completed before listing your home for sale. If you start a project that you can’t finish before listing, that may influence the buyer’s buying decision. They may see that your home was in poor condition and you were trying to give it a new face. If you stopped the project along the way, others may think you are in a difficult financial situation and will offer you very low cash offers.
Driveway or Pathway Cracks
If your driveway or pathway has cracks, you can leave it as is. A few buyers will be interested in the condition of the driveway or pathways. Many individuals and we buy houses in OKC companies will focus on your main house and the yard and offer a fair price based on its size, condition, and market value.