When property owners decide to sell a house, one of the first considerations is whether the house is updated enough to grab the attention of potential buyers. Choosing which repairs and upgrades to make can be a bit tricky. Spending a lot of time and money making major upgrades may not even help you get the selling price you desire, and in the end you may not recoup all the money you put in. Below is are a few items to invest in, and others to forget about. We’ll also tell you how we buy houses as-is, so you can avoid all the cost and hassle of making repairs and upgrades.
Three Upgrades to Invest In:
Paint
A fresh coat of paint is the simplest, easiest and often least expensive way to revive any room in the house. Try to choose neutral colors on the largest surfaces that will give the room some warmth. Its best to avoid overly trendy colors and cold white walls might be too cold and stark. If you feel like a room needs more color, do it with items you can easily add or remove such as rugs, throw pillows, artwork, or flowers. Painting is a relatively low-cost option for an upgrade that will have a big impact on the interior spaces. It can also help to cover up scuffs, nail holes, or other dings in the walls and help it look fresh, clean, and newer.
A Kitchen & Bath Facelift
You probably have heard that an upgraded kitchen and bathroom are two areas buyers are expecting, and therefore those are two of the best areas to focus on when you make any changes or upgrades in your home. If you completely remodel, however, you can spend tens of thousands of dollars! Some smaller upgrades in these rooms will make a big impact without having to spend a fortune. Again, the idea is to freshen it up rather than rip it all out and start over!
New faucets, drawer pulls, and resurfacing your cabinets are affordable ways to renew and revitalize the space. You can install new appliances, or even find new faceplates for your existing appliances. Changing the front panel of your dishwasher to match other appliances in the kitchen is an affordable way to tie all the appliances together for a more cohesive look. If your cabinets are nice but the countertop is outdated, you might consider installing a new one. Changes to the largest surfaces in the kitchen will make a big impact.
These same ideas can be used in your bathrooms as well. Do a deep cleaning of the grout, or evening replace the grout for a fresh look. If the existing flooring is outdated, you can install vinyl plank flooring right over what you currently have! Replace old faucets and towel bars or accessories with new ones. If the tub/shower needs replacement or there are outdated tiles on the surround, consider installing a pre-fabricated surround or having the tiles refinished rather than ripping it out and starting over. Both options are cheaper than taking the shower out down to the studs and starting over.
Landscaping
Depending on the time of year, landscaping that improves the curb appeal of your home can help invite buyers in at showings, and also make your listing photos appealing as well. Clean up and clear out any overgrown bushes and trees, especially right around the front entrance and driveway areas. Put down a fresh layer of mulch in all the beds and around the house, and plant fresh flowers in any containers. Make sure to keep the lawn tidy and mow it regularly. You might even add small touches like a fresh coat of paint on the mailbox, hanging a bird feeder or hanging plants, or adding a chair and throw pillow to the front porch. A well groomed yard and welcoming front entrance can go a long way.
Three Upgrades to Leave Off Your List:
The Basement
Finishing your basement can turn into a major project, and you most likely will end up putting more money into it than you can get for it in your selling price. Most homebuyers will have their own ideas for how they will use the space anyway, and you don’t want to put all that time and money into a space that could just end up being used for storage. Overall, most home buyers will want to make their own decisions about how to use the basement, whether that’s an open game room or play space for their young kids, a media room, an office, a crafting or woodworking room, or even extra bedroom space. When you price your home, account for the unfinished space and let buyers know that it’s reflected in the pricing.
A Patio, Deck, or Pool
These items can also be pretty pricey, without much return for having them installed. If you have open area in your yard, you can use pavers to create a patio or even just set up planters and a seating area with your outdoor furniture to give the buyers the idea of where they could install their own patio or deck. Adding a pool can cost a LOT of money, depending on what type you install, and also can become a deterrent to some buyers with very young children. A pool can also increase your insurance and become a safety hazard for people coming through during showings. Many buyers see a pool and are concerned about the amount of time, money, and hassle will be involved in maintaining it. If you don’t already have these items, skip them altogether.
Major Kitchen or Bath Renovation
Again, minor facelifts in these rooms will make a big difference. Don’t waste your time or money with remodeling unless it is absolutely necessary due to water or fire damage. The costs don’t make sense, especially because potential buyers will have their own tastes anyway. And usually any time you remodel a kitchen and bath, you are also talking about permitting, inspections, and possibly even energy codes which can increase the costs of the project substantially. A major renovation almost always includes unexpected problems to solve, and usually doesn’t get done in the expected time. Many buyers will ask for a credit on certain things after they have had their home inspection anyway, and it may help you save a lot of time, money, and hassle to give them a credit on the transaction rather then do the work yourself.
We Buy Houses As-Is, No Repairs Needed
We know that owning and maintaining a house is a lot of work! Cleaning out a house, updating kitchens and baths, maintaining landscaping while keeping up with property taxes, utilities, and other daily holding costs can be a burden. Selling a house the traditional way requires a lot of time and money in order to list it and compete with other listings. After all that, you’ll still end up just hoping for the right offer from a buyer that may still ask for more credits to make other repairs or upgrades to the property. Maybe your unique situation isn’t going to allow for you to be able to sell your house using an agent and listing it in the traditional way – so now what do you do? If you’ve inherited a house that needs a lot of work or is full of personal contents, or you need to sell a house very quickly due to a job transfer or a family emergency that requires you to move out of state quickly, then you may need another option to sell your house fast without making repairs. We buy houses as-is, fast and with cash, so that you can sell your burdensome property quickly and move on.
We are professional cash home buyers, and we purchase homes in ANY condition. We’ve been buying houses with cash since 2007 and we’ve seen it all. Even if the house you need to sell has a leaky roof, seeping basement, structural issues, is a hoarder house, has debris in the yard, or even certain violations with the city, we buy houses as-is. We aren’t like other cash home buyers who try to find a third party to step in and take over the purchase for us — we do NOT wholesale. We actually buy your house with cash, and we have the ability to purchase your house within 14 days of signing a contract with us. And you don’t even have to lift a finger to make any repairs. You don’t even have to clean out personal contents, just take what you would like and leave the rest behind for us to handle. If you’ve ever wondered how you can sell your house directly — no agents, no parade of showings, no lenders, no appraisals and NO REPAIRS — then Kendall Partners may be a good fit for your unique real estate situation. We buy houses as-is! Give us a call at (630) 389-8232 today, or submit your information below for a fair cash offer on your house.