When Selling Your Home Is Too Much Work
There are plenty of reasons you might be thinking of selling a home. Perhaps it’s a home you received as an inheritance. Maybe you moved with the intention of renting your former home but decided the hassle of dealing with upkeep and tenants isn’t something you’re wanting to deal with right now. No matter why you’re planning to sell, selling a home can be anything but simple.
At Bill Buys Houses, we help homeowners in Edina, White Bear Lake, Forest Lake, and surrounding areas sell their homes fast. In this post, we’ll break down some of the challenges of a traditional listing and talk about how we can help you sell your home without all that work. Give us a call to sell your house and get an offer today!
First Things First: Repairs
Homes are meant to be lived in, and living, along with time itself, can take a toll on any building. Over time, every home will begin to need repairs, and some of them can become rather costly. If you’re planning to sell your home via the traditional route, you’ll need to handle many of the most necessary repairs. Not only can this hit your wallet hard, but it also means a significant commitment in terms of time and work.
These are some of the most common repairs that often need to be addressed before listing a home on the market:
1. Rain Gutters: Ideally, a home’s rain gutters need to be in good condition to move water away from a home’s siding, walls, and foundation. When gutters are damaged due to ice dams, rust, nesting animals, and age, water can pool at the base of a home, flooding the basement or damaging the landscape and foundation. Water damage from poor gutter performance will also need to be addressed.
2. Electrical Wiring: Faulty wiring, outlets, and light switches can be a problem for potential buyers, but outdated electrical wiring can pose a fire hazard and make it hard to pass an inspection.
3. Roof Damage or Replacement: One of the fastest ways to turn off potential buyers is with a roof that’s in poor condition. A leaky roof or a few bad shingles can be superficial indicators of more serious problems. Damaged roofs that haven’t been regularly maintained and repaired will need to be replaced, and many buyers don’t want to take on that kind of responsibility so soon. Additionally, even minor roof damage can indicate mold, mildew, poor energy usage, and even structural damage inside a home.
4. Plumbing Problems: A home with serious plumbing issues can be a twofold problem. In addition to the existing plumbing issues, it may also require water damage repair in the bathrooms or the kitchen. For more serious plumbing problems, your floor and foundation may need to be ripped up, which can add up in terms of both cost and the time spent on these repairs.
5. HVAC Replacement: HVAC replacement is a common issue for homeowners who come by their property through inheritance. The person they inherited the home from may have subscribed to the old adage “if it ain't’ broke, don’t fix it,” keeping an older furnace system that performed below what most buyers would consider adequate performance. Outdated heating and cooling systems can be a dealbreaker for buyers because HVAC installation is so costly.
6. Foundation Problems: Every home settles as time goes by, but some types of settling can indicate more serious issues that will need to be addressed and can be extremely costly as time goes by. Signs of serious foundation problems include visible cracks in your exterior foundation or walls, gaps in doors or cabinets, and slanted floors.
Curb Appeal and Cosmetic Updates
Even if the bones of a home are in good shape, there’s a fair chance you’ll have to commit to some significant cosmetic updates before selling. This is especially true when a home hasn’t been updated in a decade or longer.
Potential buyers want to picture themselves living in a home. Curb appeal makes homes feel inviting to potential buyers but also gives them a sense that a home is a blank slate without too many personal signatures of the previous owner. It can mean the difference between having a home on the market for a week or for more than a year.
These are just some of the steps recommended to increase a home’s curb appeal:
1. Professional landscaping: Having an overgrown tree that blocks the front of a home or hedges that are no longer aesthetically pleasing can get in the way of curb appeal. Hiring a professional landscaper could be as simple as having some minor trimming done or having to completely rethink your foliage or even have trees removed entirely.
2. Professional photography: If you’re working with a realtor, they’ll most likely use their own photographer. But some buyers find that hiring a professional photographer on their own can help to speed up the sale process.
3. Clearing the slate: Removing every trace of the previous owner can be tricky, especially if you or a tenant is still living in a home. This may mean having to board pets or store many of your belongings as well as keeping a home pristine while your home is on the market.
4. Cosmetic updates: Any home that’s been lived in for more than a year will most likely require a fresh coat of paint. Carpet or tile may need to be replaced and updated, and hardwood flooring may require refinishing. New lighting fixtures, hardware, and windows are also common cosmetic updates.
Sell My House As Is Fast in Edina
If you’re a homeowner in Edina or the surrounding areas and you’d rather skip the work and move on with your life, our team at Bill Buys Houses can help. We take the work out of selling your home so you can get the fast closing you need without the stress.
Whether you’re trying to sell an inherited house or selling a house as is, we can help you get an offer today. Request an offer by connecting with us online, or call to connect with a member of our team. We look forward to helping you get guaranteed cash without the hassle!