Taking Care of the Essential Repairs before Selling a House

A year ago, our house was a fixer-upper and we had to decide whether to renovate or sell.  We had more questions than answers: Should we fix up our home or sell as is?  And how much would we need to fix, to make our house ready for sale?

We’d been saving up to renovate for years, so by this stage, the house was in sore need of attention.  There just seemed way too much to do to the house to make it look appealing to new buyers.

So, we bit the bullet and went ahead with our renovations.

The build is done but some of the interior finishings aren’t. We’ve run out of money and our cost of living has gone up. If we put more money on the bond, how will we pay for it every month?

So we are back to the drawing board.  We can wait.  Save up some more money over the next few months (or years) to add those final touches or sell and buy a less expensive house.

Which brings us back to our original question.  Which house repairs are essential before selling a house?

These are the house repairs you should consider:

Painting the House

Just between you and me, I would have been embarrassed to put our house on the market before we painted it.  We literally had paint peeling off the walls before we started our reno.

My heart lifts now, every time I catch a glimpse of our freshly painted house. I love the colours we chose, they make me feel happy.  It’s one of two houses in our Estate that are yellow with white trimmings. It makes it feel homely, friendly, welcoming. If I were a potential new buyer, I’m absolutely sure this would be one of the reasons I would want to buy this house.

Roofing

If your roof is leaking, damaged or falling in, there’s no way you’ll be able to sell without getting that fixed up.

Roofing is too technical to do-it-yourself, I’d recommend you rather find a trusted company that specialises in roofing like Westchase Roofing.

Another very important reason to tend to both the roof and paintwork of the house is for waterproofing purposes. Buyers are not keen to buy a house with signs of damp as mould can be a health hazard (as well as unsightly). I’m surprised this is not in the list of compliance certificates below.

Certificates of Compliance

Our original build was done about 14 years ago and rules appear to have changed since then. When the electrician came to inspect our house for electrical compliance, he noticed that our DB-Board (Distribution Board) would not pass electrical compliance if we were to put it on the market.

Before you can sell, you’ll need to have your house inspected and certified.  In South Africa, where I live, you’ll need the following certificates.  If you don’t live in South Africa, make sure you check what documents are required in your country.

• Electrical Certificate of Compliance (ECOC)
• Electrical Fence System Compliance Certificate – if you own an Electric Fence
• Water Installation Certificate
• Gas Certificate of Conformity
  
• Beetle Certificate of Clearance

Are you considering selling your house but not sure whether to fix it up first or sell “voetstoots” (as it stands)?   Here’s hoping there’s not too much you have to do to make your house marketable.