What Not to Fix When Selling a House (and the Few Things You Should)

Before every listing, I walk the house with the seller and we make two lists. One is what to fix. The other is what to leave alone. The second list is almost always longer, and it saves people real money. Here's what usually ends up on each.

Leave these alone

• ✳Full kitchen or bathroom remodels. You'll spend $30,000 to add $15,000 in value, and the buyer may not like your choices anyway.
• ✳Old appliances that still work. Clean them well. Buyers often plan to replace them on their own.
• ✳Flooring that's dated but in decent shape. Have it professionally cleaned instead.
• ✳Hairline cracks in the driveway or in the stucco. Normal in Florida, and buyers' agents know it.
• ✳Windows that are old but work. Replacing them is expensive and rarely comes back in the price.
• ✳Half upgrades. One new countertop in an old kitchen just makes the rest look older.
• ✳Minor code items that are grandfathered in. You generally aren't required to bring an older home up to today's code to sell it.

Fix these

• ✳Anything that leaks. Roof, plumbing, around windows. Water stains scare buyers more than almost anything else.
• ✳Safety issues. Exposed wiring, missing handrails, a broken garage door sensor.
• ✳An air conditioner that doesn't cool. In Florida that's not optional.
• ✳Things that will fail a four-point inspection. More on that below.
• ✳Cheap cosmetic work with a big payoff: paint, light fixtures, cabinet hardware, landscaping, a deep clean.

The Florida part: the four-point inspection

Here's something sellers from other states don't expect. On an older home, the buyer's insurance company will usually require a four-point inspection covering the roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. If the roof is near the end of its life, or the house has a panel brand or pipe type insurers don't like, the buyer may not be able to get a policy. No insurance means no loan, and no loan means no sale. So those four systems are where your repair money should go first. If the roof is the problem, talk to me before you replace it. Sometimes a credit to the buyer works better than doing it yourself, and sometimes it doesn't.

Or sell it as-is

If the list of real problems is long, fixing everything may not make sense. You can price the house for its condition and sell it as-is, often to an investor. You'll get less than a finished house would bring, but you skip the repair bills, the contractor delays, and the carrying costs while the work gets done. I'll show you the math both ways so you can pick the one that leaves you with more.