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What should I repair/replace/renovate prior to selling?
This can be a difficult question to answer. It depends on many factors such as: the neighbourhood your house is in, damage, necessary repairs, how much you already have invested into the house, how much disposable cash you have available to spend, time of year, heat loss, and the list goes on and on. Ask others what they would like to repair, replace or renovate in your house if they were to purchase it, and don’t get offended by the answers. You have to be objective in determining what needs to be done to help sell your house. Your real estate agent can be very helpful in determining what should and shouldn’t be done.
Painting – Probably the best possible return when prepping your house for sale. Paint is very inexpensive and easy to apply. Make sure you use neutral tones. Ask the professional where you are buying your paint for their advice.
Minor Repairs – Repair all holes in walls, leaky faucets, caulking around windows and bathroom fixtures, broken or rotten boards on buildings, broken windows, etc.
Roof – If your house needs a roof and you are listing it for sale, the buyer will immediately take the price of a new roof off the asking price.
Siding – A high return on investment if you do it yourself.
Windows – You generally won’t get your investment back replacing windows.
Building Onto House – Will never get back your investment.
Decks – Repairing, replacing and painting if needed can really help sell your house.
Kitchen and Bath – Only complete minor bathroom and kitchen repairs/renovations.
Flooring – Remove old carpet and replace with click flooring as a cheap, durable and attractive flooring (one third the price of hardwood) or use hardwood if you are selling an upscale house – most home buyers do not want carpet anymore because of allergies and the difficulty in keeping carpets clean with pets and children.
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Recent Questions & Answers
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A conditional offer is an offer to purchase a property which has a clause that requires the buyer to sell another property before they can purchase this one. These can be quite confusing with many details so ask your realtor to fully explain how conditional offers work.
If you just need to upgrade the electrical panel to 200 amps, about $1200 should cover it. However, if you also have to upgrade the entrance to the house, you would be looking at quite a bit more cost.
The most important thing about an exclusive listing is that it can't be found on MLS. It is a listing through one company and has to be sold through that company. It can be advertised in newspapers, personal websites, etc. but won't be found on the largest website of all-MLS. Since over 80% of homes for sale are found on MLS, it's not a good idea for sellers to list exclusively because your listing won't be seen by nearly as many potential buyers.
If you built a home today, your septic tank will likely be concrete with a field. If build properly, they can be zero maintenance and may not ever have to be pumped out. In the past, you could put any type of septic tank in including: steel tanks, fiberglass tanks, pressure treated wood, or even just a barrel in the ground with a pipe going into a ditch instead of a proper drainage field. Contact the Dept. of Health regarding new construction septic systems.
This depends on the realtor who lists your home. The most important advertising is on MLS (multiple listing service) which is where most buyers look for homes. Most buyers look for homes on the internet these days. There are many other websites used to advertise homes for sale as well such as: the company's website, personal websites, Kijiji, etc. However, many properties are still advertised in local newspapers, real estate guides, etc. When interviewing realtors, ask them how they will advertise your home for sale.