Attention home sellers: do you need a list of repair suggestions before listing and going ‘live’ on the market? What might be helpful are some ideas of where to start improving your home before an initial walk-through with a listing agent. When getting ready for the market, the list of things to address can be overwhelming. But taking time to highlight your home’s strengths, and address some possible weaknesses, can make a big difference in how fast it sells. Here are three repairs we advise doing, at a minimum.
Repair Suggestion #1: Walls 
Small holes and corner chips or gauges in the interior walls are not pleasing to the eye. Spackling and giving your home a fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest ways to improve it. Updating the colors to what’s currently the ‘in’ color provides a nice lift. Sometimes, just some touch-up paint is needed. Places like Home Depot and Lowe’s can match a paint color almost perfectly! And to appeal to most buyers, neutral, light colors are the safest. Don’t paint a room a dark color for it will make it feel smaller.
Repair Suggestion #2: Floors
Hardwood floors are a very desirable feature in a home, so you want to ensure they look their best by fixing scratches or dull areas. If your carpet is worn, consider replacing them. If they’re full of stains, hire a professional carpet cleaner to help make them look brand new again. And don’t forget the tile in your kitchen or bathrooms. Grout cleaning can go a long way in making old tiles look brand new!
Repair Suggestion #3: Fix your Fixtures
Leaky faucet? Loose drawer handle? Broken blinds? Making these small fixes can make a big difference to potential buyers with detailed-orientated minds. The more knick-knacks buyers notice need fixing, the more they may wonder how well the home has been maintained over the years. They may wonder what else might need fixing that they can’t see. Little fixes can make a big difference!
Not repairs but still important…
As a side note, here are a couple of items that aren’t repairs, but we think need addressing before going ‘live’ on the market.
Daylight LED Lightbulbs
Walking into a dark home is depressing. Replace the old, yellow bulbs with Daylight LED lightbulbs. This can immediately transform a home into a happy, welcoming space. At a minimum, make sure all the light bulbs are the same color and working.
Refresh the landscaping
Curb appeal is a significant selling point for any buyer. Show buyers your home is the full package by sprucing up the outside. Clean walkways and driveways. Plant brightly-colored, seasonal flowers. Trim hedges and trees. Pour fresh mulch. Make sure to store yard tools out-of-sight from the front and back yards. Install outdoor décor pieces to help gathering areas feel welcoming.
Take a look at the home from the curb or the driveway and assess if there are some unattractive features that you can address. The path from the curb to the front door will be the first impression potential buyers have of the home. Make sure that there is nothing out of place or off-putting in this short distance.
Getting your home ready for the market may sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these guidelines and your home will look incredible to potential buyers. For a room-by-room, full checklist for getting your house ready for the market, click here.
If you are considering selling your home, contact us at Baker Realty to get the process started. We love walking our clients through this process, so they have confidence every step of the way.
