Should You Fix Up Your Home Or Sell It As It Is?

As a property owner, it is common to find yourself deliberating against different headaches. For example, when the time comes to sell your property, you must pick the right time to sell in the first place. Many home sellers today choose to do up their property before they move on.

While you could sell your property for cash to a motivated buyer like this, you can also make some changes to get a better end-result price on the market. So what is the right choice for you?

How much value could you add?

For the most part, homes that have been built in a densely populated area can be hard to increase square footage. However, homes that have extensive value improvements through DIY work tend to home with space around them. This means you can add in extra space, additional amenities, and add-ons to improve the home value.

For most homes, though, your main options to improve are going to revolve around aesthetic changes or improvements to things like the heating system or the air conditioning. So how much does that move the needle compared to other houses in your area?

You must understand the limits of what could be added, though. Many home repairs can only bring a limited level of value. The investment cost to fix a particular issue will often not be recovered in the added value to your home. In some cases, it might be more beneficial to leave the property as-is structurally and allow buyers to determine what that means for the price they can offer.

Adding value means getting a fair return on your investment at the end. If you cannot make sure that you can recover your changes, consider if the value addition is worthwhile.

How much time do you have to wait?

Another factor is time. If you need to sell your home quickly due to foreclosure or a new job starting, you might not have the luxury of time. Therefore, you should always factor in how long it will take to complete the house sale on the average market.

Time is of the essence, and you often need to make a quick decision. Be sure to consider the realistic amount of time you have to make any changes. This approach will help you make the best decision. You cannot adjust every property in the timeframe that you have. Some buyers might set strict deadlines, and the cost of getting the changes made to suit their deadline might mean paying over the odds for available trade experts to assist.

You need to factor in, again, if you can cover the costs of doing things quickly. Another factor about moving too fast is that it can lead to mistakes and rushed finishes, which negatively impacts the quality.

If you do not have the time to make the changes you are being asked to move, you have to decide if starting is worthwhile. Often, it is better to try and sell your home as-is, warts and all, and find the fairest price you can get on the market. However, trying to fit quick DIY jobs and professional repairs into a tight schedule can lead to high costs that you cannot recover in the sale itself.

Are there any buyers lining up?

When you want to sell a home, you need to have multiple interested parties in a bidding war of sorts. With one only person trying to buy the house from you, they can be more demanding with changes they expect you to make.

Again, you could wait for another buyer who might be less fussy to come along. But can you afford to wait?

Many people, for example, will choose to sell a house as in New Orleans due to the challenges in finding a buying market in that particular state. You should never try to rush into a sale, though, and simply take the first offer waiting for you.

If there is competition, though, you can be more confident in the condition of your property being worthwhile. With only one likely buyer on the horizon, though, you might need to commit to a few more changes and DIY repairs before they will commit to the contract. When you have multiple buyers, though, it is usually easier to find someone who will buy the property with minimal changes or, better yet, the condition already present.

Unless it is feasible, affordable, and covered in the costs, you should only commit to making changes when you are short on options, and you must make a quick sale. The more extensive the list of potential buyers, the easier it is to find someone more amenable to the property as it looks currently.  

Will improvements maintain or improve value?

Sometimes, you must make improvements simply to ensure you can sell your home at the typical market value. Getting market rate can be challenging if the house is dilapidated and run down or has structural issues. At that point, you are sinking your own money in just to get back what you would have hoped for in the first place. In that case, finding a cash buyer to sell your house fast could be the better option.

However, if you think you could add anything like 10-20% onto the value of your home with improvements, go for it. Just make sure you can find the cash flow to complete the work and bring in experts for the upgrades you cannot DIY.

Selling a home in any area is never easy. Some sites, though, simply will see you spend too much to improve the property enough to justify the effort. However, some areas will simply be the best option for a motivated cash buyer. It can save you time, money, and stress in the renovations process. Then, you can move on and find your next home to buy.