Five Things You Should Repair before Selling an Older Home Home Improvement by Annette Hazard - April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 Selling an older home isn’t always easy, especially when it’s a buyer’s market out there. But all is not lost! You can add value to an older home through good maintenance and repairs made to the property, some of which will also draw increased interest from potential buyers. Image Source : www.miamirealestateandbeyond.com 1. Roof A dilapidated or leaking roof can definitely make it difficult to sell a home, especially if the flaws are discovered during a home inspection, making it very easy for an interested buy to walk away from an otherwise attractive property. Making sure the roof is in good repair can be essential for making a favorable home sale. Homeowners should do their own inspection and have leaks and loss/missing shingles repaired or replaced. 2. Plumbing This encompasses a wide variety of home repair, including leaky pipes, running toilets and bath fixtures that need some TLC. Problems with showers and tubs are often the most obvious, but place like tub repair in Milwaukee are available to put these to rights again, preferably prior to showing the home. 3. Heat and Cooling An older HVAC system can gain new life through regular maintenance and the occasional tune-up. In warmer climates, it may be worth it to have coolant added to the unit so that the house doesn’t feel too warm for prospective buyers. Much the same goes for the heating system. Because of the costliness of both repair and replacement, this is an area where you should certainly get more than one estimate and carefully weigh the cost and benefits. 4. Flooring Damaged carpet or wood floors can make a disproportionately bad impression, often looking worse than they actually are in terms of finds required to make repairs. Homeowners are well advised to patch or even replace carpeting that is irretrievably stained or torn; however, in the case of stains, it can be worth it to try professional cleaning first. They may be able to salvage your flooring. 5. Dry Wall Holes in dry wall can come from a variety of things, including children, pets and ordinary household accidents. These should be repaired by patching and painting prior to putting a home on the market. Most repairs of this nature can be performed on a do-it-yourself basis, although larger holes or dents may require professional care. Overall, many of these repairs may seem costly or time-consuming; however, in the end, they can make it far easier to sell an older home. This is especially true in a market that doesn’t favor the seller.