Your home needs to be sold as a brand-new item when it is listed for sale. After all, you are selling it. You must maintain it and occasionally renovate it in order to make it appealing to homebuyers. It’s possible that you’re making a few small errors even when maintaining houses. That ultimately affects how quickly you can sell your home.
These common maintenance pitfalls are something that homebuyers must also be aware of. Given that they will be residing there and will ultimately be responsible for maintaining all of these items on their own, the homeowners.
Therefore, you should look for them before buying or selling a home in order to avoid encountering them after the sale. Here are a few of the most typical mistakes that you should avoid:
The Subtle Elements that Contribute to Curb Appeal
You are probably already aware of how important curb appeal is when attempting to sell your home. You are conscious of the fact that you must do this and that. Yet, many sellers forget to take care of a few other, less obvious, curb appeal issues. Which are as follows:
- The Trunk of a Dead Tree
- Grassland Debris
- Soiled window screens and windows
- Roof covered in algae or mould
- Insect Holes
- Discarded Patio furniture
Ducts
Your house’s cutesy-looking chimneys are another thing that might lead to problems for you. If your ducts have a white coating, which many people fail to notice, that could be a sign of a moisture problem, and a home inspector will probably fault you for it.
Because this minor problem has the potential to eventually destroy your chimney.
Closet Doors/Sticking Drawer
Cabinets with doors that either slam shut or don’t completely close may lead prospective buyers to believe that they need to be replaced. You could purchase some felt or rubber peel-and-stick door bumpers to address the issue of closet doors that slam shut.
Likewise, nothing screams old more than sticking cabinet drawers. So, you must fix it as well.
Unfixed Showerheads
Over time, the unused things like showerheads might get loose, eventually. So, when a buyer notices that your showerhead(s) are loose where the pipe meets the wall, they might assume that there is a leak behind the wall even though there isn’t one.
By purchasing some expanding foam (it comes in a can) and injecting a small amount of it into the wall, you can quickly and easily solve this issue.
Stained ceilings
The value of your home could be lowered by a stain on the ceiling even if your roof has been replaced. Potential buyers will view ceiling stains as just another expense they will incur if they buy your house. However, those stains are simple to cover.
Door seals
When putting your house up for sale, you probably aren’t thinking about your door seals. However, if a potential buyer notices light coming in from around a closed-door or can tell it doesn’t close and seal tightly, it may reduce the value of your house in their eyes.
Before putting your house on the market, it’s a good idea to add some brand-new weatherstripping around your doors.
This will give the impression that your home is in good condition rather than having the appearance of an old seal that needs to be replaced.
Ceiling Vents
Even if your roof is in excellent condition, it’s common for the roof vents to appear worn, dirty, dented by hail, or even have housings that are cracked or seams that are broken. They could simply be painted and caulked.
The alternative is to simply swap them out. In addition to making your roof appear newer and in better shape, it’s simple to do and will significantly increase the perceived value of your home.
Striker Plates and Door Kick Plates
An interested buyer won’t look specifically for the striker and door kick plates, but they will be noticed if they are shiny and new. Therefore, by replacing the outdated ones, you will have given your house a low-cost cosmetic upgrade that will make it appear well-maintained and deserving of the asking price.
Updated locks and doorknobs
Similar to the striker plates and door kick plates, door knobs and handles are not always readily apparent. But the door is the first thing a potential buyer will open when they visit your house, and if the doorknob is worn-looking, a little loose, or just feels unappealing, it might give them the wrong impression.
They are simple to replace, and the work is not expensive. Therefore, if you want them to be noticed by a potential buyer and increase the value of your home, replace them.
Marks and dents in wood
Not many people give the dings in their house’s wood any thought. However, blemishes can quickly make a house appear older and in need of repair. Anything in your house that could create that impression should be avoided. So go ahead and find a scratch cover-up or wood pen that matches your wood and use it to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your house.
In any case, if you have any problems with wood dents, you can quickly fix them with a little water and a hot iron on any wood surface.
Clattering hinges
One of the most annoying sounds you can hear is possibly squeaky hinges. You certainly don’t want to upset your future homeowners over a problem like that that is simple to fix.
Therefore, how do you fix squeaky hinges? The squeaks are instantly eliminated by applying a small amount of petroleum jelly, and you have probably just prevented yourself from losing a sale.