7 Simple Repairs to Help Your Home Show Better and Sell Faster

When starting the process of selling your home, there are important things you will need to do before it is ready to market. Buyers are on the hunt for a home they can picture living in. The first impression of a house can make or break whether a potential buyer wants to buy it. Every house experiences normal wear and tear, which is something that needs to be addressed when selling. Here are a few simple and inexpensive things you can do to make your home’s appearance and aesthetic more appealing to a potential buyer:

1. Curb Appeal

Selling your home may be an easy task for you but, here’s to take note: Home buyers typically formulate their first impression of a property before they even step inside. The aesthetic look of a home’s exterior can be very telling of what someone can expect to find on the other side of the front door. At the very least, the exterior will determine whether or not buyers even want to take a look inside. Therefore, if you want to maximize your property’s value, it is wise to focus on improving its curb appeal.

First impressions start with the front of the house. If your front yard needs work, start there! Check that the driveway and walkways look clean and free of debris and leaves. Power-washing will help clean off any dirt or grease left from parked cars on your driveway, as well as help the siding of your house shine.

A little yard work goes a long way, so mow the lawn and trim any bushes or trees. Cobwebs are a no-no. Get rid of any visible webs, specifically near the front door. You might consider repainting your front door. New paint will give your doorway a fresh feel. Fix or replace any broken gutters, roof shingles, front lighting, doorbell, and screen door. These small fixes to your front yard, will surely attract more interest!

2. Declutter

One of the most important steps in preparing your home for sale is to declutter it. We can’t stress enough the importance of a clutter-free home when listing it on the market. Before any home staging can take place, it first has to be decluttered.

Even some of the most beautiful, organized homes will benefit from decluttering before selling. It has several important benefits that help sell a home faster and for top dollar in a competitive market.

Pack up the small things and hide the everyday items. Give yourself a head start on the move by decluttering and packing up the small things that create a clustered feel in your home. Items such as, children’s toys, loose things on your countertops, and personal belongings should be stored away when showing your home. For a more manageable, efficient and fun decluttering, read this blog post about 5 Steps on How to Declutter Your House for Sale and Benefits of Decluttering For Home Staging.

3. Fresh Interior Paint

Repainting is one of the most common pre-sale improvements, because it’s relatively inexpensive and can have a big impact on your ability to attract an offer quickly and at your ideal price point.

Fresh walls are attractive! Consider repainting with a neutral color like white, gray, or beige and covering any bright or offbeat colored walls. Chances are a potential buyer won’t like the yellow walls in the guest bedroom. Be sure to do a good job, as a bad paint job is very recognizable. If you’re uncomfortable painting yourself, hire a professional!

4. Clean, clean, clean!

If you’ve never sold a house before, you might be surprised by how bold buyers are. Digging through your drawers? Peeking inside your cabinets? How dare they! But buyers are expected to be little investigators—so be prepared before they start sleuthing.

Buyers “should be able to see how much storage is available rather than the clutter you might have there,” says Will Johnson, a Realtor with the Sell and Stage Team in Hendersonville, TN. Also, check for any loose drawers, hardware, or shelving so buyers don’t wonder what else might be amiss. And hide those strange or semi-incriminating items that aren’t at all meant for public display.

5. Update Light Fixtures and Bulbs

Before putting your home on the market, bring in a second set of eyes (your Realtor or stager is perfect for this) to look over your lighting. Is it dated? Does it serve the space poorly?

Out with the old, in with the new! Fresh new paint and a clean decluttered home may not work with your decorative and showy light fixtures anymore. Replacing fixtures and lamps that are outdated will allow you to strategically place lighting where it best fits.

“Lighting is similar to clothing or hairstyles,” says Karen Gray Plaisted, stager and owner of Design Solutions KGP in Warwick, NY. “They can go out of fashion and make a beautiful home look dated. Finding relatively inexpensive light fixtures can make a big impact and be well worth the investment.”

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You might find a lamp in an office space that can point directly onto a desk, a better option than a wall fixture. Or, a light fixture with a dark shade for ambient lighting in a more open living area. Accent lights can also help highlight specific things in a room, such as art, pictures, or bookshelf. 

Check out your favorite home improvement store for cheap, modern lighting that can make your home go from old news to new and stylish in no time. The ROI can be pretty darn impressive.

6. Do-It-Yourself Staging

Home staging is an essential tool that transforms your house into an inviting showplace that will attract the most potential buyers. Staging a home to sell isn’t the same as decorating it to appeal to your own preferences. It’s both an art and a science that might just require the assistance of a professional stager.

But staging doesn’t have to break the bank. If you have a good eye for color and design, you may be able to do the staging yourself. Just make sure you’re redecorating the rooms in a neutral design style and color palette so that your home appeals to the largest pool of buyers.

Here’s a blog post from Neila Deen to give you some tips on DIY Home Staging Tips Every Seller Can Use.

7. Spruce Up Your Backyard

When you’re writing your list of things to repair and upgrade before selling your home, chances are the backyard is on the bottom. True, sprucing up the interior and enhancing your home’s front yard curb appeal are top priority, but shifting trends among home buyers say that your backyard curb appeal needs some attention, too.

A recent study by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) found that outdoor living spaces remain a top priority for home designers in the first quarter of 2017. That trend continued to rise in popularity in the second quarter.

Styling an outdoor living room on your porch, deck or patio isn’t the only reason potential buyers are interested in homes with functional backyards. A recent landscaping survey by Houzz.com found that homeowners (and future homeowners) want backyards with space for things like gardening and playing with family and pets, too.

If it looks like you don’t enjoy spending time in your own backyard, buyers won’t want to either. However, getting your yard in shape doesn’t mean you need to install or upgrade every outdoor feature buyers might want.

When it’s time to sell your home, the key is to show off your backyard’s potential to prospective buyers.

The Bottom Line

These simple changes to your home’s aesthetic will surely help it sell faster! If you are unsure of what changes to make on your house, ask your realtor’s advice. They have likely seen hundreds of homes and could assist in ideas that would benefit the process. Now, get to work…you’ve got a home to sell!