So I put together a list of 5 of the most common repairs that we in the construction industry do for people looking to put their homes up for sale. Now granted there are other common things such as dry rot, electrical issues and so on, but these are the 5 things that homeowners can do on their own, or they can choose to hire a professional, in order to set their house apart from the rest.
1. Curb Appeal
In life we are taught to make a good first impression; the same goes for selling a house - you need to make a good first impression. This does not mean you have to re-landscape the whole front yard, but it does mean you need to consider a few things, like does that overgrown bush look good or should I trim it? Do the planters need new bark? Should I pressure wash the driveway and sidewalks? If the grass is dead like a lot of homes in California due to the drought, is there an alternative that can be done, such as rock with some type of border? No matter what your yard is, it is important to understand that curb appeal is everything. Some of these things you can do on your own for nearly nothing and some yards need the help of a professional to design and construct.
2. Wall Repair
As people have made it past the driveway and now are in the house, it is important that the inside of the house looks just as well as the front yard. One of the most common things you find in homes for sale are holes in the walls. These holes, usually behind doors, create an eyesore for most people. What really makes these eyesores worse is when the hole is patched and creates an ugly hump in the wall. The best course of action is to hire a professional who will go throughout your house and patch these holes along with chipped corners and any scratches that have occurred over the years. These minor things will make your house look better and thus more appealing.
3. New Carpet
Depending on the age of your house, one of the things that can really make your house shine is new carpet. Depending on the age and look of the existing carpet, you might want to consider getting new carpet. The reason for this is that it will definitely make your house look better, but also the new smell will tell them (potential Buyer) that it is one less thing they will need to fix when they move in. This may seem like a lot to do to sell a home, but if you have an average size home, around 1200 square feet, your big box retailers usually have great deals, such as discounted installation, for example, when a certain amount of carpet is purchased.
4. Paint Touch Up
Now that you got new carpet, your eyes are no longer drawn to the floors, but instead they are drawn to the walls and baseboards. So now what do you do? You need to touch up the main walls in the house such as the hallways, living room and any wall you walked by on a regular basis. What I mean by touch up is paint the area that looks bad, but in some cases it is best to roll out the whole wall. The reason that you would want to paint the whole wall is that the touch up was too noticeable. No matter what the case, it is important that you give touch up a good effort in order to maintain the home's appeal.
5. The Backyard
Usually the backyard is the final area of the house you walk through, and it also can be the most neglected. The best course of action is to decide what can be done. Do you have planters? Do you have grass, a patio, a Pool? Whatever your backyard has, it's important to make it look good. If you have planters with weeds, clear the weeds and place fresh bark down, cut the grass, pressure wash the patio, maybe place some seasonal flowers in the yard and planters. Always trim bushes and trees. These few things can give a sense of relief to the potential buyer, making them feel that the yard won't be that hard to maintain.
Doing these 5 things will help to really set your house apart from others by providing any potential buyer with a perspective that you not only took care of the house, but brought value to them through the repairs that were done.
Joshua Anderson
Anderson Building Company
CA Contractors Lic #1003775
http://andersonbuildcompany.com/
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
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