Home Repairs You Should Do Before Listing for Sale

You're getting ready to list your current home for sale — congratulations! This is a very exciting time, and you understandably want to get the most out of your home sale for the move to your next home.

Whether this is your first time selling a home or not, you may be unsure about what repairs to do, if any, to prep your home for sale.

The goal is to strike a balance between not doing enough to your home and doing too much. The risk of not doing enough is a lower sale price. The risk of doing too much is that you won't get a return on your investment.

Should You Sell Your Home As-Is or Make Repairs?

Before you invest time and money into pre-sale home repairs, consider these questions. It's a good idea to ask your realtor for their professional input as well.

• What is the condition of your current home? (Are the repairs too extensive to be economical?)
• What is the condition of other homes for sale in your area? (How does yours stack up to the competition?)
• What is happening with the current real estate/housing market? (Is it a buyer's or seller's market?)

5 Basic Home Repairs to Do Before Listing

If you decide not to list your home as-is, start with this list of basic home repairs you should do before listing and then go from there.

1 Install smoke and alarm systems

Install properly functioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors if your home doesn't have them already. If your home does have them, inspect them all to make sure they have fresh batteries and are in proper working order.

2 Patch holes in walls

If you've lived in your home for any amount of time, holes are unavoidable. Whether it's nail and screw holes from hanging art and shelving or larger holes caused by accidents, you're bound to have some. Patching holes are quick, cosmetic fixes that you'll want to take care of before people start touring your home.

3 Make minor repairs and updates

Make a list of everything that's defective, broken, or worn out. Leaky facets, broken appliances, damaged siding or fencing — these are the kinds of things you should target for repair or replacement. They're probably things that have been on your to-do list for a while, and now's the time to get them all checked off.

4 Paint and do cosmetic updates

A fresh coat of paint in a neutral color can make a huge difference. You don't necessarily have to paint every room, but if you made some bold color choices, you may want to redo those spaces to be more crowd pleasing. Also consider updating things like lighting fixtures, cabinet hardware, and countertops. These cosmetic touches can be done fairly inexpensively but have a big impact.

5 Clean the home inside and out

Before you start showing your home, make sure it's looking its very best with a thorough cleaning. Whether you hire professional cleaners or do it yourself is up to you, but you'll want to pay special attention to things like:

• home exterior (consider a power wash)
• windows (inside and out)
• bathrooms
• kitchen
• carpets (shampoo or consider replacing)
• yard (clear away toys and remove any junk)

Make sure you keep your lawn mowed and home free of clutter so it's always ready for prospective buyers to drop by. If your budget allows, you could even take it a step further and consider staging your home.

Let the Moving Pros Lend a Hand

AAA Movers is a full-service moving company serving Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond. We have over 50 years of experience helping people move, and we offer additional services to make it even easier. Explore our services and contact us for a free moving quote or to book a service.