Selling your home? Tip #4 on how to prepare

4. Get More for Your Home: Repairs Pay Off

After you've cleaned the place to within an inch of its life, the next project is making all the repairs necessary to attract a buyer, or I should say keep a buyer.

So, patch your walls, touch up all the paint or repaint if necessary - (especially that neon green in the guest bedroom!), replace your filters, repair any trick doors, spruce up your molding by filling in any gaps, and make your entry area really shine. Get rid of sick or dying plants.

You've read this in previous posts, but, fix the grout in the bathrooms and on tile floors, cover any stains, fix leaky faucets, and be sure to address any plumbing problems. Remember, do what your home needs before the first buyer appears at your door.

One common error I've seen more times than I should've, is home owners leaving old leaks unattended to. Do not make this mistake. If there is some old water damage from a previous leak from a hot water heater, a window being left open, whatever, hire someone to repair this properly. This will send a huge red flag to a potential buyer and even scare them from a property.

Also, it's a good idea to get all this done before getting the real estate broker to make the first listing -- a good agent will advise you on what needs to be done. Also, if you have friends willing to be brutally honest about what your home needs to sell, invite them to assess the fix-up needs.

There is, however, an alternative to the sweat equity you get from a total fix-up --but it carries a price. An "as-is" sale keeps you from doing all this work, but a buyer will assess about twice the price you would have paid for the repairs. Then, the buyer will deduct that amount from your asking price before making an offer.

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