Thinking of selling your home but don’t know if you should make repairs first? Of course so! Any repairs you make will only impress the buyer and will help you get most, if not all, of your asking price no matter what the market is doing. Here are a list of ten items every homeowner should repair.
1. Paint – A fresh coat of paint on the inside and out will do wonders for your home. Make sure that before you paint you make any repairs to the drywall or exterior wood. Take the opportunity the repair any damage before painting the home.
2. Floors – Have the carpet shampooed and be sure that any stains and odors are eliminated. Get any broken tiles or damaged floor boards repaired before the showing. Clean the grout lines in the tile to remove any mildew stains.
3. Windows – Make sure all the windows are operational and have screens. If there is any broken glass have a local glass company replace it. If the windows will not open, the home inspector will write it up as a safety hazard.
4. Make sure all the appliances are clean and in working order. Make sure the dryer vent pipe extends to the exterior of the home and does not discharge into the crawl space.
5. Remove any clutter from the garage and basement. Rent a storage building or a use a shed to store seasonal decorations. Throw away old newspapers and magazines.
6. Go into the attic and be sure there are no leaks around the vent stacks, roof vents, chimneys and flashing. These are the most common areas where leaks occur. It’s better if you find these and fix them before the home inspector finds them.
7. Make sure the kitchen and bathroom fans are vented to the outside of the home. Exhaust fans should vent to the exterior and typically do so through the roof or the exterior wall.
8. Make certain the sinks, plumbing, and faucets are not leaking. Check the caulking for gaps where the counter top and the wall meet.
9. Replace all the light bulbs and make sure the rooms are as bright as possible. Open the curtains to let as muck light in as possible.
10. Clean the fireplace and verify the screen works properly. Make sure the gas is on if you use gas logs and have it lit during the viewing to show the buyers it’s beauty.
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