BY GEOFF WILLIAMS NOVEMBER 21, 2023
If you read enough real estate articles or watch enough HGTV, you may fall into the trap of thinking that people only buy and sell homes when they look pristine and beautiful. While that isn’t always the case, you may be thinking: How do I sell my home if it’s a dump?
What if there is no curb appeal? What if there’s no appeal whatsoever? What if there seems to be a long list of problems? And what if you simply don’t have the money, the time or the inclination to fix it up?
If you have a house that you think is more turkey than turnkey, experts have some suggestions that don’t involve taking out a lot of loans and renovating your home before you sell it.
Consider Getting a Pre-Inspection
You live in your home. You know it needs work. You may think you don’t need to pay somebody to tell you your house has seen better days.
But if you’re willing to do some work yet unsure what needs to be done, you could hire a home inspector to do a pre-inspection, says Chris Hock, owner of Earth Saving Solutions, a general contracting company in Denver. They can run $300 to $500, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Before you list, you need to understand the condition of your home,” Hock says. “A pre-inspection will prepare you for the sale. You can have an inspector provide a list of issues.”
Hock says once you have that list, then you can decide what you can afford. “Ask your realtor what matters most to sellers,” he says. Some items, like roof repairs, may be too costly, but more affordable changes, like adjusting the exterior grading, can also make a significant difference.
“Buyers often use the inspection list to negotiate a lower price,” he points out. “The fewer items on this list, the less room for negotiation.”
Clean the House
If you’re trying to sell a dump, probably any real estate agent is going to have one bit of advice for you – grab a broom. You may not be able to renovate the home or paint it or get new carpeting, but if you can clean it – especially if you can afford a professional cleaner – your house will probably have a good chance of selling, and for a price you’re happy with.
“I sold a home where the owners moved in as a young married couple in 1953. They lived there together for many happy years with hardly an update,” says Betsy Phillips, a real estate agent with Compass in Glenview, Illinois. “In 2022, the widow passed away, and it was time for her only son to sell. While it was extremely emotional, we cleared out the home and prepared it for market. The most important thing was to make it as clean as possible, which included power washing the outside and maintaining the yard.”
She says the homeowner fixed anything that was obviously broken, “like a dangling light fixture,” and then priced the home accordingly.
The homeowner received multiple offers and the house sold quickly for a fair market price. Pricing a “dump” or any home fairly, though, is important.
“Overpricing in any market is a sure way to cost you money and drag out a sale,” Phillips says.
Tend to the Yard and Home Exterior
Simply straightening up and mowing the lawn may help the house present better at sale time. Do what you might do if you were hosting guests.
“Things like sweeping off a porch, having the front walk and exterior power washed, having a landscaper weed and mulch the beds, etc., are all fairly inexpensive and can make a big difference in first appearances,” says Nikki Buckelew, a senior downsizing coach who runs the Seniors Real Estate Institute in Oklahoma City.
Hock agrees. “Simple chores like mowing the lawn, pruning overgrown shrubs and weeding can significantly enhance your property’s appearance,” he says. “Adding budget-friendly potted plants and flowers near the entrance can also foster a welcoming ambiance.”
Make Sure There Are No Odd Smells
Some homes arguably don’t smell great. Maybe a smoker has lived there for decades. Maybe you have a clowder of cats, and they’re great, but the litter box smell is pervasive – you’ll want to try to address that.
For instance, if the carpet smells, you should remove it, and take other steps to make the property feel as fresh and clean as possible, suggests Lindsey Harn, a real estate agent with Christie’s International Real Estate in San Luis Obispo, California.
“Smells can really make it difficult to sell a home for top dollar,” Harn says.
Make Minor Home Improvements
So you can’t renovate your kitchen. Can you tighten the banister that has come loose? Maybe replace the burned-out light bulbs in your basement? Is there an outdoor fence that you could repair?
“Homeowners can opt for minor cosmetic improvements,” says Kurt Carlton, president and co-founder of New Western, a fix-and-flip residential investment company in Dallas.
A little effort in home improvements might go a long way to adding to your sale price, he says.
Clear Out Your Personal Stuff
You may plan to continue living in your home until you have a sale, but if you feel like your place is an eyesore, you might want to consider presenting it buyers without all your stuff. A house full of items you’ve accumulated for years might turn off potentially interested buyers. That fading Farrah Fawcett or Shaun Cassidy poster in your basement may not seem like a treasure to somebody born in 1998.
“If the home is full of personal property, animals or deferred maintenance, a seller can take a hit from anywhere from 10% to 30% on the fair market value,” Harn says.
As Carlton observes: “A notable strategy used by banks during the 2008 recession was a complete trash-out, removing all furniture, carpets and sometimes even cabinets, leaving the house as a shell ready for investor inspection.”
This lets buyers to use their imagination and consider what they might do with the place and to really envision themselves in the space.
Don’t Despair – You Will Sell Your House
There’s a lot of demand for houses right now, so unless the house isn’t on the verge of demolition, you’re probably in better shape than you think. It doesn’t mean sellers can expect to get an outsized price for a mediocre house, but it may mean motivated buyers are willing to take on projects if other factors, like location, are just right.
“All homes sell, no matter the condition or exterior appearance. It’s a matter of pricing it right for the market,” Buckelew says.
If you decide that you’d rather sell for a lower price than invest money and effort into a home you are leaving, you’re not alone. Buckelew says this is common among longtime homeowners who are downsizing or relocating.
There’s no shame in that decision, and it may simply make more financial sense to sell the home as it is rather than spend a fortune trying to make it into a home you think people will want. If you’ve loved your lived-in home, you may have memories that nobody can put a price on. Remember, you fell in love with this home once. Somebody else is going to see what you saw in it, and you never know: They may love what you’ve done – or not done – with the place.
This story was originally published November 21, 2023