Putting up your home for sale is one of the most stressful processes you may have to go through. If you are a fan of DIY shows, you may end up thinking that staging a home requires a lot of money. These shows usually involve people ripping down walls and bringing in new flooring and such. While that is possible, you may not necessarily need to do all those things. There are, however, things you need to do before you sell your home if you want to fetch a good price. Here’s what to do before selling your home.
Repair Your Roof
Before you sell your home, you need to make sure that it’s in tip-top shape so that it can fetch the best price. In most instances, a potential buyer will order a home inspection before they finalize the purchase. If anything is damaged, you might end up losing the buyer, or you will be forced to sell your home for less. This is why you need to get your roof fixed before you sell your home. Repairing your roof should be at the top of what to do before selling your home.
The roof serves a very important protective purpose; therefore, potential buyers will never overlook roof damage. There are a lot of benefits that come with having functional damage free. These include better energy efficiency, improved protection from the elements, a more comfortable living environment, better warranty coverage, and increased curb appeal. This is why having a roof that’s in good condition will increase the selling price of your home.
A roof is costly to repair. This means you need to find the right residential roofer to do your roof repairs. When you come across a residential roofer, you need to find out how long they have been n business. You must always work with someone who is experienced. Fly-by-night roofers are notorious for vanishing after doing substandard jobs, so you need to avoid them at all costs. You must also check the contractor’s license and insurance coverage. Before you decide on a residential roofer, it’s advisable to also get at least three different quotes so you can compare prices.
Replace Your Homes Siding
Your home’s siding is quite important. It protects your home from the elements, keeping your family comfortable. If the siding on your home is rotting and crumbling, you need to replace it before you sell your home. This is because it cannot perform its job in that state. When looking for what to do before selling your home, you should strongly consider hiring a home siding installation service. You must avoid repairing only a section of the siding if the rot has spread across the exterior. In such cases, starting over is the best solution. That way, you can even upgrade to a rot-resistant material. Most people nowadays are going for vinyl siding that does not naturally decay.
Holes and cracks on the siding are unsightly. Unfortunately, that’s not the only downside to the damaged siding. It can also affect the structural integrity of your home. Buyers know this, and having such siding can decrease the value of your home. Gaps in the siding can allow moisture into the home. Apart from that, critters and insects can also get in. This is why you need to invest in home siding installations before putting your home on the market.
Install New Windows
Window replacement should be on your list of what to do before selling your home. If you have old windows in your home, it’s advisable to replace them before you put your home on the market. Old or damaged windows can raise red flags during a pre-purchase inspection. This, in turn, can decrease your listing price, or it can even make potential buyers lose interest in your home. However, replacing windows is not a cheap project, so you need to ensure that you work with a reliable window replacement contractor.
If you only have one or two damaged windows, you can invest in a cracked window repair service. However, if all your windows are old and worn out, the best move would be to replace them. In addition to replacing windows for marketability, there are several factors that should make you consider replacing your windows.
If your windows are inoperable, the best move would be to just get new ones. This could be because the windows have broken glass, locks, springs, or latches. You will also need to replace your windows if they are drafty. This makes them less energy efficient, and no one will be too interested in buying your home. You can still see your home without a window replacement, but you must not expect to fetch a high price. Apart from that, some buyers will request that you replace windows before they can pay for your home. This is why it’s just better to have your windows replaced before selling your home.
Have Your Plumbing Checked
Before listing your home, it’s advisable to ensure that the plumbing functions properly. This should be among the first and most important tasks when it comes to what to do before selling your home. The majority of buyers will not be interested in getting a home with a faulty plumbing system, especially one that needs a lot of repairs. To save yourself the trouble of having to negotiate with buyers, you must just fix the plumbing ahead of time.
When potential buyers see leaky water pipes and clogged drains, they will take it as a sign that there are likely more serious problems lurking. This suspicion will result in additional inspections, and they might even hire professional plumbers to inspect your entire plumbing system. This will likely uncover more hidden problems. In the end, the buyer will either ask for a discount, or they can request significant repair credits.
If you do choose to make plumbing repairs, you must always work with professional plumbers. The first step should be to inspect your entire plumbing system so they can identify everything that needs fixing. That way, you won’t have surprises during the pre-purchase home inspection. Some of the most common problems you may need to deal with include clogged drains, leaky pipes, old pipes, and gas pipes that need repair. Once all this has been fixed, you can expect to sell yours smoothly without any plumbing-related complications. You can even throw in some water filtration systems to sweeten the deal.
Ensure Your Home is Free of Pests
There are many reasons why you should ensure your home is not infested with pests before you attempt to sell it. A lot of pests carry diseases. Some are notorious for damaging property. For instance, termites cause property damage worth millions of dollars each year. This is why pest control should be a major step as you are trying to figure out what to do before selling your home.
The purpose of dealing with any kind of pest in your home before you sell is to create a healthy environment and to also preserve the integrity of your property. It can be a problem if potential buyers notice rodent feces in every corner of your home. These pests can be a nightmare, and no one wants to buy a rodent-infested home. Everyone knows rodents carry disease, and if you accidentally ingest food containing rodent feces, you can become seriously ill. This is not limited to rodents. Pests of all types carry pathogens that can cause illness. This is why you need to hire local pest control specialists to ensure that your home is pest-free.
Have Your Basement Checked
Basements are the underbelly of every home. This is one of the locations that is used by inspectors to sell behind the curtain of a property. Inspectors know that a basement inspection will give a more reliable representation of the overall health of your home. Therefore, if you want your home to sell faster and for a good price, you need to first have the basement checked, and any problems should be fixed.
Inspection of the basement can uncover problems like foundational damage. Problems with the foundation are a sign there are large issues. Homes that foundation damage can end up with water damage, flooding, and loss of structural integrity. By inspecting your basement, inspectors can identify things like cracks in the walls of the foundation, signs of moisture and water damage, and leaking pipes. If your basement is unfinished, it can also reflect signs of past flooding and water damage.
Basements, especially the ones with water and circulation problems, can affect the air quality and, therefore, the health of people staying in a particular home. Excess moisture and leaky pipes in the basement can lead to things like mold. Once you suspect there is mold in your basement, you need to move fast and hire a mold removal contractor. Mold can lead to serious health problems, so even if you are not looking to sell your home in a hurry, it needs to be dealt with decisively.
On the other hand, they can also lead to a build-up of radon gas in the air or water supply. This is why you need to order a basement inspection before you sell your home. That way, you can uncover all these potential problems and get them fixed before they are discovered during the inspection. This is why basement inspection needs to be at the top of what to do before selling your home.
Clean Out Your Home
Before listing your home, you need to make sure it’s presentable. This is so that buyers can relate it with the dream home they intend to buy. Cleaning also helps you to get a good price for your home, which is why its probably the most important stage before listing your home.
Cleaning your home can give buyers the impression that your home was generally well taken care of over the years. The good thing about it is that it’s the easiest and cheapest way to impress buyers. A dirty house can look abandoned. It will prevent buyers from focusing on everything that your house offers. If the house is dirty, they will most likely be in a hurry to leave and never come back. This is why you must never leave out cleaning when listing what to do before selling your home.
Cleaning is especially important if you are planning to stage your home. While you must clean the entire house, you need to focus on areas that make the most impact. When someone comes to view your house, they will most likely be interested in checking out the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. This is why you need to invest a lot of time in these rooms. You can even hire a cleaning company to deep clean your home so that no corner is left unattended.
Before the cleaning starts, you need to prepare a list of all the things in these rooms that you need to clean. That way, you can prioritize and tackle the cleaning tasks in an orderly manner. A cleaning service company will follow this approach when cleaning your home. They first inspect and identify the dirtiest spots, then attack those first. After the cleaning is done, you will also need to check out junk removal companies to take away all the trash and leave your yard cleaning.
When cleaning, you mustn’t only focus on the interior. Outdoor cleaning must also be on your list of what to do before selling your home. Your yard needs to be trimmed, and you should clean the pavements and driveways to ensure there are no unsightly stains and discolorations. A well-clean and manicured yard are attractive to buyers, and it will ensure that you fetch a good market price.
These are some of the things that should be on your list when it comes to what to do before selling your home. It’s important to take time to ensure that your home is ready before you start advertising. First impressions matter, and you must never give buyers the chance to discredit your home. This will create room for them to start negotiating as they try to bring the price down.
