Thinking of Selling Your house? Do These Repairs First.

After three months on the market, you’ve finally found a buyer for your house. The contract is signed. The closing date is set. The inspection is one of the last things left on the to-do list. 

A few days after the inspector visits you get a call from your agent and within seconds the whole deal falls apart. Back to square one. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. The reason? The inspector found some cloth wiring, and the buyers are too concerned about what else might be wrong with your electrical system to chance it. 

Each year hundreds of thousands of homes fall out of contract following the home inspection because of something major the inspector highlighted on the report. When most people think of repairs and upgrades to help sell their house, they think of a fresh coat of paint, or replacing the carpets. But while a nicely renovated interior may look appealing, it’s what’s going on behind the scenes with your home’s major systems that can make or break a sale. 

These major systems such as the plumbing, electrical, roof, AC, and foundation directly affect the safety and wellbeing of the occupants. Many insurance providers and lenders will require they be in good working condition before the sale can go through. But for to give yourself the best chance at a successful sale, we highly recommend you make the repairs before trying to sell your home. 

Foundation

One of the scariest things a potential home buyer can see on an inspection report is possible foundation damage. Much like the name implies, the foundation is what the rest of your house is built on top of, and once it starts failing, the rest of your home is also at risk. 

Most homes are built with concrete slabs, crawlspaces, or pier and beam foundations here in Florida. While basement foundations are more common in areas with less groundwater. Each of these foundations can fail in a number of ways, but settlement, or the unintentional sinking of your foundation is among the most common issues. 

This sinking can be caused by roots, groundwater saturation, or even just the shifting of soil over time. And the repairs can be extremely costly, often tens of thousands of dollars. Companies like Alpha Foundations or Ram

 Jack typically attach piers to the places where your home is sinking to stabilize them with more compact soil and bedrock. But other solutions such as injecting concrete lifting foam may be sufficient. 

Electrical

Electricity is dangerous. And there’s a lot of it in your home. As a result, most lenders and insurance companies have strict requirements for electrical systems, and damaged or out of date systems can instantly be a major deal killer. 

As recently as the 1950s it was common for homes to have 30 amp service panels with a blade switch that could disconnect service from the whole board. However, as the power needs of our lives increased, residential electrical systems had to be upgraded to keep up. 60 amp fuse panels became normal until the mid 1960s, when modern and much safer circuit breaker electrical panels started entering the market. 

These days, a circuit breaker panel is almost always required by lenders and insurance carriers, as fuse panels carry a much higher risk of fire. 200 amp service is the standard, but some homes still carry older 100 amp service panels. Although these 100-amp panels may work properly and pass inspections, the lower availability of electrical power in their homes might turn off buyers.

Unfortunately, when it comes to electrical, the panel type isn’t the only concern. The type of wiring used in your house can also be a major problem, even if it hasn’t caused any issues while you were living there. 

Homes built before the 1960s may have a type of wiring called cloth wiring, which used fabrics or even asbestos based cloth to cover the electrical wires. This cloth can deteriorate over time, leading to fire hazards and a greater risk of electrical shock. Most lenders and insurance carriers will also require you to replace any cloth wiring, or other older wiring types such as copper, or knob and tube with modern NM wiring prior to approving a sale. And be sure, this is something home inspectors will be looking out for. 

Plumbing

Depending on the type of home, most houses have pipes either running under the house in the crawlspace or slab, or above in the walls and ceilings. Regardless, even small undetectable leaks such as slab leaks can cause serious water damage. And because our water supply comes directly through our pipes, certain materials one common in homes can prove dangerous for human health. 

The most prevalent of these is lead pipes. It wasn’t until 1986 that the use of lead pipes in plumbing systems was banned in the United States, and millions of homes built before that time utilize lead pipes because of their durability and rust resistance. Lead is toxic to humans, and over time, these pipes chip and erode, releasing lead into the water supply. If an inspector detects lead pipes in your house, the buyer may request you replace them before continuing with their purchase. 

Roof

Depending on the type of roof your house has, the average lifespan is typically between 10 and 40 years. Shingle roofs are the most common in modern construction, and they typically last 15-20 years with maintenance. The only problem? In Florida, lenders have started requiring roofs that are only 11 or 12 years old to be replaced. Any shingle roof over 10 years is concern, even if it isn’t leaking. 

Shady roofing practices following major hurricanes have caused lenders to be exceptionally wary of potential roof issues. A roof replacement can be more than ten thousand dollars depending on the size of the house. Be prepared to replace your roof if it’s nearing the end of its lifespan.  

Again, best practice here is to replace it before trying to sell. A new roof looks flashy and clean, which can increase the curb appeal of your house. Trying to skimp may result in your home showing worse, and your buyer will likely ask you to replace it or pay for the replacement anyway, even if the lender doesn’t. In the current market, with low competition, buyers feel emboldened to ensure that what they’re getting fully matches their expectations.

Air Conditioner

Florida summers are hot. Air conditioning is incredibly important. Plus, Florida is humid, and a good central air system helps dehumidify your house, helping it to resist mold, mildew and the other nasty things that accompany water. How well does your AC work? To buyers, it matters. 

Insurance companies almost always require what’s called a 4-point inspection here in Florida. This inspection looks at what the insurer thinks of as the four major systems in your home: plumbing, electrical, roof, and you guessed it…HVAC. 

Most HVAC systems last between 10 and 15 years with routine maintenance and inspections. And yes, that includes changing out the air filter more than once a year. Overworking these systems in extremely hot or cold weather, or allowing debris to clog their air intakes, can significantly shorten their lifespan.

If your AC is an older model, or if it’s struggling to heat or cool your house, it’s time to fix or replace it. And as always, it’s best to do it before your house hits the market. Our senses have a huge impact on how we remember experiences, so a perfectly heated or cooled home goes a long way during a showing. 

Inspectors will also check all of your vents and ducting to ensure air is reaching every part of your house. If it isn’t you may need to replace some of the ducting in your home as well as your system and that can be expensive. 

Like roofs, most buyers are concerned about being stuck with an AC that fails shortly after they purchase a home. Anecdotally, we know someone who just purchased a home only to have their AC go out weeks later. The result was a bill of almost $7500 that they had to cover right after spending hundreds of thousands on the house itself. 

Saying a house has a brand new AC is a huge selling point, as it gives the buyer a lot of peace of mind. Trying to squeak by with an old system is likely to end with it flagged on an inspection report, and the buyers requesting you replace it before closing anyway. 

Do these repairs before selling for the best sale possible

Home repairs aren’t sexy. It’s not home improvement like you see on HGTV, you don’t get to pick out fancy hardwood floors or new tiles, and the return on investment is harder to justify at a glance. But any one of these items appearing on an inspection report can scare off a potential buyer and mean the death of your deal. 

Making these repairs can be…will be expensive, typically thousands of dollars or more. But failure to do these repairs may require you to sell your house as-is, to someone not using a lender. Drastically reducing your sale price. 

Before selling, talk to a real estate agent or real estate professional about your home. Go over the age and functionality of all of the systems. And show them any visible damage or areas of concern. A good agent will steer you in the right direction of what to fix, and what to leave for later.