Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

The time has come to sell your house, and you want to make every penny you can. The tricky part can be determining what to repair or replace before the sale and what you should leave as-is for the buyer. You can often recoup the money you invest in repairs in the selling process if you do things right. Here are few tips to help you get the most ROI on your pre-sale fix-ups.

Top Tips to Prep for a House Sale

As a seller, you can either repair problems or take a hit on the profits and leave room in your selling price for the buyer to cover the repairs. If your goal is a quick sale at a profitable price, making critical repairs before you sign the paperwork is a good bet. 

Appearances matter a lot when you sell your house. Things like paint, new flooring, and updated appliances are all going to increase your opportunities. Staging your home also goes a long way toward helping buyers visualize themselves, not you, in the home. For our purposes here, we won't focus on those things. Instead, let's look at a few electrical issues you want to consider getting done before the realtor puts their sign in the yard.

1. Start with the biggest job first. If you're selling an older house in which the wiring has not been updated in several decades, it's best to find out if the whole system needs replacement. Depending on how long you have lived in or owned the home, you may or may not know about nonprofessional repairs lurking behind walls. Does your home have copper wiring, aluminum wiring, or a mix? If the latter, that could be a hazardous discovery during the inspection and discourage a prospective buyer. Step one? Call a qualified electrician to inspect your wiring and find out the status of your existing situation. 
2. Fuse box or breakers? Again, this most often pertains to houses of a certain age. While a fuse box can provide every bit of power and safety the house needs, a breaker box is the standard today. The other significant advantage of a circuit panel is the convenience of not having to keep fuses on hand. A panel upgrade is going to be well worth your investment. 
3. Check the outdoor electrical connections as well as the indoor ones. Do you have plenty of grounded outlets (3-prong) in the rooms that need them? Are your outdoor connections, from the power line to your home, stable and safe? What about your fixtures? Updating fixtures inside the house can be relatively low-cost and will upgrade the look of everything. 
4. Another solid selling tip is to do what you can to upgrade the energy efficiency of the house. If a buyer knows you've made improvements that will help them save energy month after month, you've got a step up toward the deal. 
5. Be straightforward. If there are issues with the house, don't attempt to hide them and hope for the best. Inspect and repair or inspect and disclose. Choosing either option is the best way to go, and setting a price that reflects your choices will also increase your opportunities to find a buyer. Remember, many buyers want to walk in, unpack, and decorate. Needing to do extensive repairs will turn them off. 

Quality Electrical Help When You Need It

We all know selling a house is a big deal. At Wilcox, we're here to make sure it's also a safe one. Good luck, and contact us if you need assistance.