As a home staging company, we work daily with homeowners to prepare their homes for the real estate market. Home staging is visually preparing your home for sell but there are some physical flaws that you cannot nor want to hide by staging your home. We don’t recommend covering up flaws with home staging, instead, when doing consultations, we recommend performing repairs and hiring professionals before moving forward. Damaged floors, roof issues, and foundation problems are all home maintenance issues that home sellers need to address prior to selling a home. Since this is not our expertise, we partnered with the experts-- Granite Foundation Repair and in this blog we'll explore various home issues that need proper repair before a home hits the market.
Foundation Problems
Trying to sell a home with foundation problems can be a real headache for homeowners. When it comes to foundation problems, the associated repair costs depend on how serious the issues are. Smaller, insignificant cracks could be sealed for under $500. But the use of steel materials to counter foundation settlement can cost you thousands of dollars. Foundation issues pose a major threat to your property's structural integrity and a seller has two options for dealing with a home that needs foundation repair:
· Sell your home with foundation problems. While most buyers stay away from this type of home, you could find someone who agrees with a sizeable discount that helps them take care of the foundation trouble.
· Repair the foundation issues. This is a better option because you have a bigger pool of prospective buyers. However, you need to keep all the documentation that shows what practical steps were taken to fix the issues.
Broken windows and torn screens
Trying to find clever ways to cover up broken windows and torn screens is counterproductive and usually leads to new purchases. Updating your windows is definitely a way to increase the value of your home. Replacing windows will not only visually update your home but it will also improve the home’s energy efficiency. Torn screens are fairly cheap to fix, yet taking care of this issue makes your home look much more attractive. This is a quick DIY project that you can complete in a day.
Damaged floors
Floor damage can include discolored or warped hardwood, unlevel floors, carpet stains, or squeaky floors. Instead of trying to find ways to cover up floor damage, it is best to address and fix the issues head on. Potential buyers will notice worn flooring and will be inquisitive about the overall upkeep of the home. Therefore, avoid the extra inquires and the headache by keeping your floors in supreme condition.
Roof issues
Roof problems may seriously affect your final sale price. According to Zillow, roof replacement will deliver 60-70 percent return on investment. Depending on the severity, any roofing issues make buyers extremely cautious. After all, the roof is a major structure that protects your home from the elements.
Here are some of the most common roof issues:
Old roof. Your roof may be too old. For example, an asphalt shingle roof has an expected lifetime of around 20 years. Proper repairs and regular maintenance may easily stretch the useful life to 25 years. Any years more than that creates an expectation for a roof replacement.
Staining. Roofing leaks create unsightly stains on your walls and ceilings. But you should first make sure that the stains aren't caused by a water leak coming from your plumbing. If the roof does have a leak, you may notice a stain that appears and grows after it rains.
Missing shingles. This is a major red flag for many buyers. You should definitely address the issue of missing shingles before putting your home up for sale. Without taking care of this issue, your property faces a higher risk of leaks and water damage, and may lose some curb appeal
These problems should be evaluated and dealt with by a professional. The roofing problems demand concrete steps for experts in effective repair procedures. Otherwise, you have a harder time selling your home for its market price.
Foundation problems, damaged floors, and issues with your roofing are areas of your home that will surely appear as red flags during the home inspection to potential buyers. You want to make sure that your property is as appealing as possible. It is always advised that sellers identify and fix problems that are high-value repairs which will yield a return on investment prior to listing. These problems need to be addressed by contacting a reputable repair company, like Jim of Granite Foundation Repair located here in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth metroplex.