Part 2: You Want To Sell Your Home - To Renovate or Not?

Water seepage/damage either on the ceiling, or walls or floors has to be attended to unless we are selling the house in an "as is" condition and that is usually reflected in the list price. Water seepage can be caused by a leaky roof, a chimney leak or by faulty exterior water- proofing. We need to know exactly what's required to remedy this and get it done, if we can. If you've repaired such a leak but haven't had time to re-dry-wall or re-paint, now is the time to do it. We don't want any water stains anywhere!

As your Real Estate Agent, I want to make your home as rebate-proof as possible. We don't want a Buyer to come back to us and ask for money off the purchase price, after an inspection reveals what was known but not addressed. We want Buyers to say "Wow, they've really taken care of this house."

Then there's the aesthetic side of "upgrading". And there are many creative and not-so-expensive ways to make your home shine!

#1 is Painting. If your home really needs painting, it really needs painting. A fresh, light, neutral colour, throughout, has instant allure. In as little as 3 seconds, when Buyers walk through the front door, they know whether they want to see the rest of your home or they squint their eyes and say "Hmmmmm"…..

Many of my clients have asked whether they should renovate the kitchen before selling. Again, I advise you to do only what makes sense. Re-doing a whole kitchen is too expensive and likely not in your best interests, as most Buyers want to renovate a kitchen to their taste and style. But do we change the appliances to Stainless Steel? This could be just the "uplift" the kitchen needs. We could also keep the cost minimal by redoing the backsplash or painting the cupboards, which can make a huge difference. Or, even just updating the knobs gives the cupboards a whole new look. We also know that a sparkling, clean, older kitchen can be very attractive, and friendly, to many, many Buyers.

The second?  Bathrooms. If the bathrooms are dated, but spotless, there's a good chance I'd suggest not doing anything. Just let me add my own finishing touches, for staging, to make them gleam. But if the toilet, tub, shower or vanity need a lot of TLC, it may be better to spend a little now so the selling price doesn't get affected. Again, we don't want the Buyers to start adding up "repairs" which could cost us more in the long run.

Another inexpensive improvement is changing your light fixtures. No, we don't have to put in pot lights. New light fixtures can cost very little, and freshly modernize your home.

I have many unique and creative selling secrets and I share them all with you.