Easy Fixes that Home Sellers Always Seem to Miss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that there’s a never-ending list of fixes and you’ll never get the money back. About the only thing cosmetic that ever turned me against a house was a musty basement smell, and I think that’s an actual problem and not a “fix.” Otherwise you should do the bare minimum to allow someone to move in and be reasonably comfortable: clean, repainted, nothing broken, yard cleaned up.

A dehumidifier is great for this. Our basement has transformed.

Ok then yes! I would put that on the list. Have a super-smeller come and see if anything smells in the house.

Closets always seem to smell, no matter how nice. What to do?

Remove everything, clean the closets and put back half off what you removed.

[Anonymous]

Basement windows - clean and let light in!
Paint any dried water stains - huge (false) red flag

Sticky or dirty front door/screen - first impressions are so important
Declutter, remove extra furniture so room appears bigger.

Agree, small fixes goes long way, no need to spend a ton esp in hot mkt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that there’s a never-ending list of fixes and you’ll never get the money back. About the only thing cosmetic that ever turned me against a house was a musty basement smell, and I think that’s an actual problem and not a “fix.” Otherwise you should do the bare minimum to allow someone to move in and be reasonably comfortable: clean, repainted, nothing broken, yard cleaned up.

A dehumidifier is great for this. Our basement has transformed.

Ok then yes! I would put that on the list. Have a super-smeller come and see if anything smells in the house.

Closets always seem to smell, no matter how nice. What to do?

If they’re smaller closets, get some Damp Rid hanging dehumidifiers. If they’re larger closets, get a plug in dehumidifier. Our larger storage closets also have grates in the door to allow air circulation.

[Anonymous]

One year, when my kids headed off to college, I pulled everything out of their closets and gave them a fresh coat of white paint. So much cleaner looking.

[Anonymous]

If they are easy fixes, then fix them yourself. I'm not grinding tree stumps for buyers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they are easy fixes, then fix them yourself. I'm not grinding tree stumps for buyers.

Ok but you’re losing money on the sale because you were too cheap to spend a few hundred on your landscaping.

I got a house for list, and Im sure part of the reason there was only 1 other offer was because the landscaping was neglected.

[Anonymous]

Odors

Whether it’s mold, cigarettes, pet or Indian food. Get your house deep cleaned. It’s offensive.

[Anonymous]

Don’t hang an AK-47 statement piece over fireplace idiots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think sellers can basically do whatever they want in this market but I'll play. Replace lightbulbs. Nothing worse than seeing a bathroom light fixture or a ceiling of recessed lights with half the bulbs burned out.

Agree 100% - it’s such a small thing but this drives me crazy! A seller who can’t be bothered to replace burnt out bulbs probably isn’t keeping up with other, more critical maintenance tasks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Odors.

Front stoop with ragged mat and dead flowers.

Faded paint on front door.

Messy and or overgrown landscaping.

Overfilled garage, outdoor shed, closets.

These are not things that most sellers do.

[Anonymous]

Poor lighting and bad paint jobs. I cannot tell you how many homes we saw that were painted a dull matte gray and painted around the edges of wall plates and other fixtures. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TAKE OFF THE OUTLET COVERS AND SWITCH PLATES WHEN YOU PAINT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I notice dirty doors, grungy switch plates, and dated, dinged up doorknobs and hinges. Often in homes that have been given a cosmetic facelift and are otherwise well-staged.

A fresh coat of paint on interior doors and swapping out old, cheap brass tone door knobs and hinges and builder-grade switch plates is not a huge expense, comparatively (maybe 1k total) and it can give the home a whole new look.

We didn't do this to sell the house but were glad we had previously swapped out all the brass for brushed nickel when we did!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neutral paint colors!!!!!

WHY is this THAT hard?!

And NOT gray! So tired of gray!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Odors

Whether it’s mold, cigarettes, pet or Indian food. Get your house deep cleaned. It’s offensive.

You're offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re in the market to buy, what are some examples of easy fixes that would significantly improve the curb appeal or interior of a home, but for whatever reason are just completely ignored by home sellers?

I’ll start: Tree stumps in the front yard. Nothing looks worse when you’re walking up to the front door during an open house. Pay someone to grind that down! And then put down some grass seed. Easy.

Expensive ^^

Clearly you've never priced it out. And if curb appeal is otherwise good, I'd spend the money on more important things (windows, for ex).