top 3 things to fix before selling home

You might wonder what to fix before selling your home. Is it worth making repairs, or should you leave it as is? It is not easy to make the effort of time and money to fix up a home you’re ready to leave. Homes with a minimal inspection repair report sell 20% faster than homes with a long to-do list. In addition, repairs are a significant way buyers talk down the sale price. A buyer’s initial offer is not solidified until the inspection phase is over.

If your repair list is minor, you have a stronger negotiating position. Depending on your local market, you can decide whether to have a handyman do a few requested repairs.

When planning to sell your home, the best way to prepare yourself is to have your preliminary inspection done. This will give you the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the condition of your home. It’s hard to be aware of every item that must be repaired in your home, but an inspection will reveal things you may not have been aware of.

Here are the top 3 items that you should fix before selling your home;

# 1. Plumbing repairs. These are important to fix because leaking water causes further damage to the home and could breed mold. Both of these issues could be a deal breaker for a buyer.

# 2. Foundation issue. If you have a crawl space, be sure to have any leak, moisture, or mold resolved before the buyer’s inspection. If the buyer’s inspector finds any such issues, they recommend a pricey fix. If you have any cracks to the foundation or cracks that could indicate a foundational issue, have a foundation company come out and assess the situation. Many foundation solutions can be resolved quicker and easier than expected. If you leave this to the buyer’s inspector, it could be blown out of proportion to give them a pricing discount advantage.

#3. Roof leaks. This can be tricky because a leak could have occurred years prior, leaving stains or wood damage. Ensure any roof leaks are fixed and any residual evidence of a leak is cleaned up.

Making these repairs before the buyer’s inspection will help avoid price reductions and save you a lot of money. It is worth fixing these upfront because, ultimately, they could be considered significant enough issues for a buyer to walk away from buying your home.