Today we talk about the relative importance of spending time & money on repairs or cosmetics when preparing to list a home for sale in Lancaster PA or beyond. Sometimes I come across prospective home sellers who are “obsessing” over repair issues (whether real or perceived) and overlooking cosmetic improvements. Less commonly I see people focusing on dressing up the house to the exclusion of addressing basic repair issues. While I think an overt focus on one or the other can get the listing into trouble, my personal opinion is that while home buyers do look at repairs, they focus much more on cosmetic defects and extrapolate them out to the whole property. Because of this effect, I tend to recommend that prospective sellers get the cosmetics right first, then address the repairs they are thinking about. Now, a house that’s been neglected through what we call “deferred maintenance” in real estate land will likely need some serious repairs and upgrades. The home inspector won’t miss this, by the way, so be assured that the repair issues WILL come up and planning ahead to meet them head-on is part of my listing strategy with seller clients. One way to address this is to get a pre-listing home inspection performed. However, “most” homes I work with are in pretty good maintenance condition and it’s the curb appeal and what I call “walk-through appeal” cosmetics that really need attention. Painting, cleanup, lighting, decorating and accenting features are absolutely critical … …

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Ep. 95 Deciding Between Repairs Or Cosmetics Before Listing Your Home