How to remodel before you sell

You are looking to sell your home and you happen to have some money for repairs, but what is worth fixing up? You want to focus on repairs or replacements that will benefit your sale.


As a home-owner, repainting is a fairly cheap but profitable way to fix up your house. This is definitely worth it if it has been a while since you repainted. If the walls are decent, it might not be worth it since most people want their own choice of wall paint or wallpaper. Try to paint with neutral base colors and avoid white.

In addition, if your carpets are worn out, they are a high priority to replace.


According to http://www.realtor.org/ and the National Board of Realtors, all types of window replacements as well as bathroom remodeling have a good project cost return.


Home office remodels, sunroom additions and back-up power generators are all low amount returns as far as cost vs. profit.

Does homebuyer want fixed up homes or should I sell as it is?

In our team, we always suggest that you keep repairs to the necessary parts, make your home look and feel good. It is not always worth fixing everything, especially if you cannot do it yourself. Sometimes the ones buying your home want to change things, thus making your repairs unnecessary.

If there are major flaws to the home, e.g. a roof that is damaged, you will most likely benefit from repairing and replacing it. If a home buyer is looking at buying your house and it is worth $100'000 with a repaired roof and the repairs cost $10'000, he is probably not going to buy your house with a faulty or broken roof even if you sell it for $90'000. There are often other alternatives out there for $100'000 where a roof replacement is not necessary. Even though your home sells for $10'000 less, which is what you estimated the roof to cost, they will not have to "deal" with the whole mess of fixing the roof or live in a home that is half way done.

Some things that bring down your value and that should be checked and fixed before even listing your home are:

• Broken windows
• Broken/leaking roof
• Holes and cracks in walls & ceilings
• Leaking or broken faucets
• Broken appliances
  

Hope this gives you an idea on what to do before you decide to sell your home and that it helps you get a better value for your house.

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want!
-Ben Stein

Sincerely,
Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate
For more info, visit: http://www.austinrealtortx.com/