If you want to know what not to fix before selling a house, you are in the right place! Many times, before you list a house for sale, you might think that it is time for some renovation so you can sell it for the best price possible. This is a good strategy to follow, but there are some things you don’t need to fix before selling a house.
So, before pulling out our toolbox and starting to renovate and work, you better find out what not to fix before selling a house. Take a moment and see what upgrades and investments are worthwhile. There is a chance that you’ve planned to invest money in upgrades that will not give you any return on your investment.
1. Old appliances
Most homes have appliances, and people prefer to buy fully equipped homes. Because of this, you might think that if you are planning to sell a home, you will need to replace the appliances in case they are old. Broken appliances and severely worn ones will affect the selling price.
And, if you think about it, this is a good idea that will definitely add some extra value to your home. But don’t rush! If you want to make your home more valuable on the market, you don’t need brand-new appliances. Nope. This can cost you thousands of dollars.
Instead, you can choose to buy used appliances. They are much better than broken appliances or ancient ones, but not as expensive as brand-new ones. So, one thing not to fix before selling a house is old appliances.
2. Driveway or walkway cracks
If your home has a beautiful curb appeal, we have good news: the buyers will pay 7% more for your house! But what not to fix before selling a house? What things from your yard should you leave as they are?
A great curb appeal means that your house has a beautiful yard with freshly mowed grass, carefully trimmed shrubs, fresh paint on the exterior of the house, and a nice mat on the front door.
Some landscaping is a good idea, and cleaning your yard and taking care of the trees and shrubs can add some value. Some simple fixes and cleaning your grounds can truly make a difference, but there are also some repairs that are not really necessary.
For example, the walkway or the driveway cracks. You don’t need to fix them unless they are severe and pose a real danger. But most times, this is not the case. In some areas, soil movements are pretty common, and buyers will not be scared of a few cracks.
3. Unfinished room upgrades
Another one of the things not to fix before selling a house is partial room upgrades. Actually, if you want to upgrade a room, you better finish the project before putting the house on the market. An unfinished room doesn’t look great and also makes it hard for the buyers to visualize the final look.
Don’t think about replacing a few cabinets and fixtures, because this will point out how much the room needs an upgrade. You better leave the room as it is rather than do partial upgrades.
It makes no sense to bring in some brand-new furniture and appliances when the whole room is covered in 1980s linoleum. Partial upgrades don’t add value to your house, and it will look like you are trying to hide something.
So, you either do the whole room and renovate it properly or leave the room as it is. We know that if you want to raise the value of the house and you have an old bathroom, it might be good to upgrade it and bring it to the same level as the other rooms.
4. Window accessories and windows
You are here to find out what not to fix before selling a house, right? Well, another thing you can leave as it is is the windows and the window accessories. If your home looks not the best, with some old, ugly windows and some broken blinds, you might feel like you need to change them, but this is not the case. No one is going to change their mind and decide not to buy a home just because it doesn’t have blinds.
Also, removing your old blinds instead of changing them can be a smart move because more light will be able to get inside the house, and the rooms will look larger and brighter. The same goes for old curtains or old and torn window screens; just remove them and let the natural light get inside.
Another thing you need to do is clean the windows and the window frames thoroughly. Deep-clean them and remove any old accessories, and you will be surprised by how much difference such small changes can make. Be sure that the buyers will also be impressed.
5. Minor electrical, plumbing, or HVAC issues
There is a pretty popular myth among home sellers, and that is that you should replace old electrical and mechanical components before you sell the home. But this is far from the truth, and we are here to teach you what not to fix before selling a house.
No home is code-compliant unless it is freshly built and meets your city’s most recent code standards. A residence does not have to be modified to meet current code requirements for a resale transaction.
So, do your water heater, A/C system, and electrical panel function as they should, even if they are not the newest? If yes, then you are good to go. You can sell your house without replacing or repairing any of those things. It is not wise to spend your money on unnecessary upgrades.
If all works out fine, you don’t need to dig up problems. But this doesn’t mean that you can sell a house that has latent defects and other major issues.
6. Grandfathered-in building code issues
Building codes are something that changes from time to time. They always evolve, and this is why a house that was built in the early 1990s won’t probably meet the current codes.
That doesn’t imply you have to update everything to meet modern standards in order to sell your property. If the house was lawfully built in accordance with the building codes of the time, it is usually termed “grandfathered-in” and doesn’t have to comply with modern requirements.
Home inspectors are required by law to point out all of these problems and note them in the inspection reports. But that doesn’t mean you need to upgrade the house to the current standard. Home buyers can do that on their own if they wish.
7. Cosmetic flaws
There are a lot of cosmetic issues that you can solve quickly, such as landscaping and painting. If we are talking about quick and easy fixes, they are with all: time and money, because it is not a hard job and they will make a difference.
On the other hand, there are some cosmetic flaws that are not that easy to fix. For example, if you need to replace the kitchen countertops or the ones in the bathroom.
But if you have the money and skill to do this on your own, you can do these projects because they will increase the value of the house. If you are not the DIY type, you better not start such projects on your own because you can cause further damage.
If you want to learn more about how to sell a house, this book might be a good start: Selling Your House For Dummies
You should also read: 8 Easy DIY Home Improvement Projects You Can Do This Weekend
