8 Essential Home Fixes to Boost Your Sale Price Before Listing

Getting your house ready to sell? Put yourself in the buyer's shoes and take a good, honest look at its condition. Over time, paint starts to chip, things break and wear down, and items and appliances stop functioning. Buyers have a knack for identifying a home's issues; even the smallest of fixes can be the biggest detractors for a potential sale.

To understand the most pressing problems when preparing your home for sale, consider taking a walkthrough with your real estate agent or hiring a qualified home inspector to perform an inspection. Generally, you'll find eight home fixes you must complete before selling. Read on to discover what to fix before selling your home and how to make your home more appealing to buyers.  

Pre-Sale Home Checklist: 8 Things to Fix Before Selling Your Home

Buyers require a safe and comfortable place to call home. However, they also want something that looks nice, functions as it should, and offers the potential for personalization. Here's what to fix before selling your home to boost your sale price and deliver what buyers are looking for.

1. Unkempt landscaping. 

According to a National Association of REALTORS® report, 92% of realtors recommend improving curb appeal before sellers list their homes. Curb appeal refers to a property's outward appearance, including a home's landscaping. To get the best offers and maximum investment return, ensure your landscaping looks beautifully maintained. That means:

• Trimming trees and bushes
• Planting flowers or local plants
• Keeping lawns green and hydrated
• Taking care of weeds and mowing

Read More: "Embrace the Hottest Garden and Landscape Trends of the Season"

2. Faulty HVAC. 

To keep your HVAC system running as it's meant to and the way buyers expect, change your air filters and clean all vents. When getting your house ready to sell, schedule an HVAC technician to inspect the system and perform necessary tune-ups, such as:

• Cleaning or replacing filters and condenser fins and fans
• Clearing debris around the outdoor unit
• Leveling the unit
• Confirming the system is functioning well

Air can also escape through cracks and gaps, sending your electric bills soaring. To prevent this, seal air leaks around:

• Doors
• Windows
• Wiring holes
• Plumbing vents
• Furnace ducts

Weatherstripping and caulk are budget-friendly fixes before putting your home on the market that can keep the cool air inside and ease the workload on your air conditioner. Look for both at your local hardware store and follow online guides for instructions. 

3. Stained or damaged flooring. 

Hardwood flooring is the most popular choice for home buyers. In fact, updating floors is one of the best home upgrades for resale, with real estate experts estimating a 118% ROI for homes with refinished hardwood floors. Boasting durability and stress-free maintenance and cleaning, hardwood floors are timeless and offer a cohesive aesthetic for various home styles. Look for:

• Dents
• Scratches
• Staining
• Cracking

Repair as necessary and consider refinishing the hardwood floors to optimize your return on investment.

Read More: "How to Pick the Right Flooring for Your Home"

4. Foundation issues. 

Depending on where you live, the climate and weather can cause soil to change and shift, affecting a home's foundation. Signs that something is wrong with the foundation include:

• Uneven flooring
• Cracks in the walls
• Cracked bricks
• Sticking doors
• Cracks in tile floors

Because these could be warning signs of structural issues, addressing the foundation is one of the most important repairs before selling a home. Hire an engineer or other professional to inspect the integrity of the home and make any necessary repairs. Additionally, you should:

• Make sure downspouts are aimed away from the house
• Repair damaged foundation vents
• Patch up small cracks around the foundation

5. Bad roof.

Part of a home buyer's inspection report, a bad roof can make or break the sale of your home. Roof inspections are fundamental to identifying issues before they become major problems. Scan your roof and check for the following:

• Leaks
• Loose shingles
• Water stains
• Damage to roof decking
• The condition of your chimney

Employ a professional to fix the roof promptly. Delaying repairs can lead to more extensive and costly issues.

6. Plumbing problems. 

Plumbing pipes, fixtures, and parts can degrade with time and become damaged. Problems to look out for include:

• Clogged drains
• Leaky faucets
• Running toilets
• Faulty garbage disposal

You don't want to give the impression that your home is poorly cared for. Minor plumbing problems, like a dripping faucet or blocked drain, are easy to fix and can make a big difference in your home's perceived value.

7. Broken smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

It doesn't take much time, money, or effort to maintain your home's fire detection systems. However, broken smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can imply carelessness, and buyers may worry about the safety of other home components. One of the top home improvements before selling, take some time to test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries as needed. Here's how to test a smoke alarm: 

• Press and hold the test button for a few seconds. If it doesn't make a sound, replace the batteries.
• Use an aerosol smoke detector tester. If it doesn't make a sound, replace the batteries.
• Light a match or two and hold it two to three feet below the detector. If it doesn't make a sound, replace the batteries. 

8. Old paint job.

Applying a few coats of fresh paint (to both the exterior and interior of your home) is an easy and inexpensive way to increase home value before selling. Paint not only gives your home an attractive and clean look but also helps protect it from wear and tear.

Consider upping your kitchen's aesthetic appeal by painting your cabinets, too. This provides a cost-effective alternative to the extensive and expensive process of installing new ones. A savvy solution, a fresh coat of paint can instantly increase home value before selling without undergoing a major home makeover.

Make Moving Simple After Getting Your House Ready to Sell

Whether it's landscaping, foundation issues, or bad roofing, you'll first want to tackle these home fixes to complete before selling from our pre-sale home checklist. However, when it comes time to move from your old home to something new, we're here to help. Check out "Moving Made Simple: Your Go-To Move-in Checklist." This comprehensive move-in checklist details everything you need to know to ensure a smooth transition.