Home Repair

If you are thinking about selling your home, consider making the following repairs to your home before it goes on the market. A few simple upgrades and minor repairs will go a long way in making a good impression on potential buyers, resulting in less time on the market and a better price. All repairs should be completed before your house goes on the market – home owners who see your home as a work in progress may be turned off completely or push for a reduced rate.

The type of repair your house needs may depend on the time of year, the location your home, current market competition and trends. If you would like to learn more about which repairs are best for your home, speak with a real estate agent.

Outside

Potential buyers will base their first impressions on the outside of your home. Make sure you get off to a good start by putting some time into restoring your yard and the exterior of your house. Many potential buyers will visit a second time, often driving by in the evenings for a second look. Keep the outside of your home looking good at all times – not just during a showing – and keep the outside lights on in the evenings so buyers can see the yard and building.

If you have a shingle roof, replace any missing or broken shingles. It may be necessary to hire a professional for this job. If you do, ask for a warranty which you can pass on to buyers. If you have drainage problems or a leak in the roof, this should be fixed immediately, as a leaky roof will raise a red flag for any buyer.

Remove any moss from the roof, clean the gutters and trim back any trees or bushes that touch the side of the house or the roof.

Fix any missing or sagging pieces in fences, oil squeaking gates and fill cracks in driveways and sidewalks.

Mow & edge the lawn, rake and remove leafs, trim shrubs and plant flowers if the weather is appropriate.

Entrance

Create a welcoming and flawless impression on potential buyers as they approach your house for a viewing. Improve the entranceway to your home by replacing sagging doors or screen doors and oiling any squeaky or sticky fixtures.

If your front door is dingy, consider repainting or refinishing it. If you are painting, make sure the colour you choose matches the exterior colour scheme of the house.

Floors

Once a potential buyer is inside your home, do they see dingy carpet or cracked tiles? If there is hardwood under your carpet, remove the carpet and restore the wood flooring. Otherwise, consider replacing old or colourful carpeting. New carpet rooms and improves the resale value of your home. Install a neutral colour, such as beige or tan.

Replace any chipped or broken tiles and clean the grout.

Walls

The walls of your house are one of the simplest places to make a significant and cheap difference to the sale value of your home. Repainting walls can be a great investment when you are selling your home – a few cans of fresh paint go a long way to renew any home. Remove all family photos and patch any nail holes.

Clean walls thoroughly. If a smoker lived in your house, wash the walls with a cleaner such as vinegar, ammonia or glycol solvents (found at paint stores). Read the labels carefully to avoid damaging any surfaces. Ask smokers to smoke outside and dispose of cigarette butts while the house is on the market.

Repaint the walls, removing any wallpaper. Choose neutral colours such as cream, beige, and gray/blue. Avoid stark white, dark and primary colours.

Fill any dings in the trim and baseboard and repaint this too.

If you have textured ceilings, it is a good idea to remove the texturing. You will need to repaint.

Kitchen

Depending on the market competition and the condition of your counters, it might be worthwhile to replace the countertops in your kitchen. It is not necessary to break the bank in order to do this. Nice new laminate is an acceptable choice – you don’t have to replace all your counters with granite.

Repaint or refinish dinged cupboards. Some furniture polishes will restore the look of wood and mask dings, but it may be necessary to go one step further. Replace any broken or missing hardware on cupboards.

Replace stained sinks and fix leaky faucets.

Bathroom

It is important that your bathroom makes a good impression on buyers and doesn’t turn them off. Clean the grout thoroughly, and re-grout to replace any grout that is dingy or damages.

Replace stained sinks and fix leaky faucets.

Throughout your home

Throughout your home, fix any electrical that doesn’t work, such as light sockets and replace any burned out lightbulbs.

If there is fog between the panes in your windows, they have a broken seal and should be replaced.

For more ideas about repairs to do to your home before selling, see the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Homeowner’s Inspection Checklist.