How Much Work Should We Do on Our House If We Sell in a Year?

Some great advice from the other moms; I agree: 1) repair the roof; 2) don't hardscape the backyard -- plant grass or sod,or some other minor landscaping; 3) fresh paint goes a long way; 4) talk to several realtors especially about how much to update the bathroom, fresh paint, new faucets, new lighting can do wonders; 5) join Angie's List and use for any contractors.
The first thing you should do and get started on immediately are any repairs that you have been putting off (or forgotten about); things like a torn window screen, a drippy faucet, a broken door hinge, etc. If people see little things broken and unrepaired they will assume that the "big" stuff is in worse shape. When you do put it on the market --- declutter and sparkly clean are the watch words.

Major work, like a kitchen remodel, won't pay itself off. Upgrades to the bathroom can go a long way and can be done for relatively little money (compared to a kitchen). A new roof is also worth it, in my opinion, because I often hear buyers say in a very negative voice, "but it's going to need a new roof in a few years."

I would not hardscape the backyard. I prefer a grassy area and actually didn't consider most houses where the yard was fully hardscaped. People are much more likely to buy a house where the inside fits their needs and the yard needs work, than one where the yard is great but the house needs work.

Before we put our house on the market, we interviewed five different agents. Part of their "pitch" was to walk through our house and suggest things that "must be done", "should be done" and "if you have time"... anything that showed up on more than one "must be done" list was done immediately. Our house was only 6 years old when we put it on the market, but the items we did were:
1. Repaint the kitchen b/c it was lime green and people really can't see past paint colors!
2. "Refresh" the master bath... repainted, new mirror and vanity top. My husband did these b/c it wasn't really "construction" so much as "read the directions". It was pretty surprising how a new vanity and mirror along with some paint really made the whole room look better.
3. De-clutter (of course)
4. Re-arrange the living room furniture to make the space feel more open. It worked well.

Our agent let us know that certain things would probably be "deducted" from an offer, so don't bother replacing or repairing. For example, the back deck needed some new planks. It was functional and not dangerous, but not beautiful. Her suggestion was to make that a negotiation point rather than adding more to our "to do" list. That made sense to both of us as well.

Long winded answer summarized... ask a few agents what they would suggest that you do and go from there. You may have better luck with a "handyman" than a contractor if the items aren't too big. A handyman can paint, make repairs and probably do some minor upgrades.

I have moved a lot and bonus, my mom was a realtor! I used her as my "consultant" since she lived in a different state. Here is what she always said: Bathrooms and kitchens sell houses.

I'm not sure what needs to be done in your bathroom but if a bit of paint, new fixtures and accessories would help then for $500 you can do that. New roof would be a selling point as well. In the listing, new roof and updated bathrooms is always a selling plus. I'm not sure if I would invest a bunch of money in hardscape. I would put some out but not too much. Maybe a couple of hundred dollars. Most buyers don't mind working in the yard but having to put money into a roof could be the item that moves them to the next house.

You may want to rent a storage shed and de-clutter. That will make your house look bigger when you go to sell. No one wants to see all your photos of your kids so remove those and put paintings or some other type of wall hangings. Freshen your kitchen. Buy some new decorative towels, candles and accessories. Have a basket of fresh oranges or lemons out on the table. Have your carpet professionally cleaned. That could save you lots of $$$.

Do your homework, go look at some open houses over the weekend, see what the competition is. Also, look at model homes. That can give you some great ideas on decorating.

All of this can be done yourself. We have only hired help a couple of times and generally those have not ended well. We hired someone to do install our wood floor last year and that has been a disaster. If you need to get a handyman, go on Angie's List and look there.

Interview realtors. That is why I said do your homework. If a realtor comes in and says things that don't make sense given your information they could be overselling to get the listing. I want someone who is aggressive but not someone who oversells. That will not have a good outcome. Good luck!!!!

You do need curb appeal. In the backyard, make sure you have no weedy patches or dead grass, but focus on the front for the pretty.

A roof is a major repair which will absolutely turn buyers off. That needs doing regardless of if you planned to sell or not.

By updating a bathroom, do you mean superficial decorating to keep up with trends as-seen-on-tv? Don't bother. Keep it super clean and replace things that are worn or damaged.

I agree with Krista, talk to an agent. It might be better to negotiate a "bathroom allowance" into the selling price instead of putting $$ in yourself if the bathroom needs more than new caulking, paint, and a new light fixture or two.

I'd say have a Realtor come and tell you what needs to be done. THEN take what they say and use your own judgement.

I had a friend that was selling to move to Spring Texas. Her kitchen had an accent wall that was a dark green. It was the wall with the most cabinets so it was not a large wall. She had beige carpet and off white walls.

The Realtor had her paint the kitchen accent wall a dark rust color and paint the entire house, 2 floors, 5 bedrooms, den, etc...all a golden beige. Looked like milky coffee sort of. She put in all new carpet for about $5000 too. The Realtor told them each thing they did would raise the value of their home.

The colors the Realtor choose detracted from the value of the home. Almost every person that came in went out talking about how they'd have to repaint before they moved in. I thought it was truly ugly paint too.

She ended up painting the rust colored wall a much lighter color and the house sold not too long after that.

On the other hand...years ago when hubby and I were looking for our first home we found a house we really liked. It was really a good layout but it had the ugliest yellow sunflower wall paper in the kitchen and dining room. I just could not focus on anything except that grotesque atmosphere when I was in that part of the house. We kept going back and looking at it over and over.

They finally realized the house just wouldn't sell looking like that. They came in and painted over the ugly, cleaned the carpets, washed the walls down, etc....deep cleaning and the house sold in a few days.

So the morals of my stories are:

Realtor's can be a great resource but if it sounds ugly to you don't do it. Trust yourself to some extent. Well, if you think you have pretty good taste that is.

We just moved into a family home sort of situation. The walls are that gross light brown and dark beige that are so popular with builders right now. I have never lived in a house that is so dark even during the day when the curtains are wide open. I look forward to the day I can paint the walls a light beige or off white. I just can't stand how dark it is in here.

I would spend my money on the bathroom and roof. You will get a big return of those when you sell.

Talk to an agent. Find out what you NEED to do, vs. what the buyers would like to do themselves. Why fix a bathroom to what YOU want if it isn't what THEY want. Professional input will help you use your money efficiently.

I would do repairs you might get stuck with at closing anyway. Like the roof. An updated bathroom might net you more money, but a bad roof can cost you at the sale. If there are little things you have lived with - a leaky faucet, peeling flooring or wallpaper - I would get those fixed. When you say hardscape does it really need a new patio (or something else) or can you just clean up the yard to make it nicer?

I would use Angie's List or find a similar local resource to start looking for a contractor. I have had bad luck with big name companies and we literally had to throw a Power Home Remodeling Group guy out of our home after he was rude and his pitch went on for hours. If you see a neighbor getting their roof done, talk to them about the experience.

And things like paint can be so subjective. I've read to keep it neutral and stage the house for sale (so put the nicknacks in storage) but my sister and her DH bought their brightly painted home figuring they could repaint later. They wish they knew about the badly done french drains, though....

Don't put in more money than you can get back out. Meaning you want your house to be neat, clean, safe, and comparable with it's neighbors (but not out shine them). Talk to a realtor and discuss what would make the house most sellable then set a reasonable budget. Also check with your insurance about the roof, they may cover part or all the expense.

It really depends how much your home is worth and what you are looking to get out of it. If spending 5k will on a bathroom nets you 15k, then it might be worth it - that is if you have 5k to dish out now.

Talk to an agent. Best to fond someone and get a plan in motion now than wait.

I would do what you feel is right for your area. We too are going to sell our house in a year (we get new orders) and we just had to get the roof redone, because this area the VA loan requiers homeowners to have the proper wind/storm insurance. Before the buyer could just transfer the sellers insurance into their name and it was all good, but things have changed and we needed paperwork and had none, thus we had to redo the roof. Even the roofers were laughing, because it did not need to be done, but in order to not forclose on the house we had too. Plus buyers get loans that require the roof be approved in order to buy.

So make sure your state/area does not have loan requirements that potential buyers have to go by.

I would certainly do the yard up some, but not overly done. As for the bathroom, if the rest of the house is updated, then I would do the bathroom in order to get what the house is worther, otherwise you will have offers from people that want to low ball it, because they know the bathroom needs updating.

I would not do a new roof, that would be a fortune, it can be patched if need be. Get some advice about paint and yard, its hard for us to know BC we can't see it. Good luck.

N.L.

If you expect top dollar on the house? Pay for a house inspection NOW. Usually the cost is $350 - all depends upon the company...have an inspector come to your home and inspect it...telling you all the things that are "wrong" with the house so you can get it fixed BEFORE you list it.

This way - you can find out what you are willing to fix and price your home accordingly.

A roof - depending on the pitch, size/square footage and the material can be done at a reasonable cost (ours was done for less than $5K). Now we don't have the terra cotta roof...as is typical in Southern California.

For a GOOD contractor? Angieslist.com - it pays for itself on the first job you have done. I think the membership is $29.00 for two years...you have access to health and contractor information. It has been worth it for us.

I can tell you if you don't have curb appeal, I'm not going to stop and even look at how "pretty you might be" inside. So maybe a stop in to Lowe's or Home Depot to "pretty it up" might be in order.

you might be surprised at how much a little money into your property will help it sell faster and get what you want for it. Many people are looking for "move in ready" homes. Yes, there are some looking for "fixer uppers" - however, they won't pay top dollar for that.

I would have an inspector come out and tell me what, if anything, is wrong with the home...foundation, furnace, AC, roof, windows, electrical, etc. and then ask the important questions - can I sell with these issues or would I be forced to fix before sale? Keep in mind - if someone is coming in with a VA loan or even an FHA loan (assuming you don't have one of the $1.5M homes in El Segundo) that before they will lend the money to the buyer, things must be fixed/repaired.

Get an appraisal done on the home too...cost is about $350 - sometimes more - they can tell you what will hurt your bottom line and what will help it. I know when we had our home appraised in January - the appraiser was very helpful in telling us what we could do to make SMALL changes to bring in bigger money...for OUR area....

Good luck!

in our area.. houses are selling within days of being on the market at over asking price. it is a sellers market.. so I wouldn't do much of anything to sell my house in this area.

A coat of paint can do wonders for a house. it is cheap easy .. and makes things look fresh and new. definatley look at the house from the street.. some folks will drive up and look at it.. if it looks ugly or run down.. they might not even schedule a showing.

I agree with doing the roof. It will help the house look newer, sell better, and may get you a tax write off next year.
http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/tax-credits/tax-cre...

Update the bathroom. For a $300 for new sink(s) and paint you can get big returns when you sell.

I would not do any work to the backyard except to keep it mowed/clean as that can be a personal taste and actually cost you a sale.