7 Essential Home Fixes For Selling

As everyone knows, it’s a rare property that’s ready to sell as-is. Getting ready to sell involves a long and daunting to-do list that can seem impossible to tackle, especially for newer agents.

With all of these tasks, it’s sometimes hard to know what to prioritize when getting a property market-ready. Fortunately, award-winning Broker Associate Cara Ameer has put together a comprehensive list of what sellers should focus on.

1. Structural and mechanical fixes
   Sebastian from Dallas roofers tells us, “It might not be glamorous, but buyers are looking at big-ticket items like the age and condition of the roof, air conditioning and heating systems, water heater, electrical panel and pipes,” advises Ameer.
   Not everything has to be completely replaced, but if any of these elements have seen better days, you should think swapping for a newer model. And why is this important? Per Ameer: “These items could factor into the kind of financing the buyer is able to obtain as well as insurability of the property.”If a tight budget makes repairs like these out of the question, you can still get estimates on the cost of replacement. “You can always offer to contribute to the replacement cost in the form of a credit to the buyer’s closing costs and offer a home warranty that can provide some coverage should something fail or need repair,” Ameer suggests.
2. Exterior
   Take a good, hard look at the exterior of your home. Can you spot anything that, if you were buying the property, would give you pause? Wood rot, or an old paint job that could use a touch-up?”First impressions start from the outside,” Ameer explains, “and the exterior will show up in photos across a multitude of websites, etc. This is definitely an area worth spending the money.”
3. Landscaping
   This falls along the same line of thinking. First impressions are everything, and if the plants are overgrown and the lawn is shriveled and dead, prospective buyers may be turned off before they even set foot in the house.

For a complete list of Ameer’s advice, check out the full article on Inman!

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