Should I make repairs before listing my home?
Written and reviewed by Andrew Ragusa, Licensed Real Estate Broker and Broker of Record, REMI Realty LLC — 11+ years of transactions across Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens.
Short answer
You don’t necessarily need to make repairs before listing your home. There are three ways to look at the situation: sell it as-is, make corrections to protect the value the home already has, or make an investment to increase its value. Which approach makes sense depends on what’s going on in your home, what you can afford to do and what you’re trying to accomplish. Before you start spending any money, let’s walk through the property together and figure out what needs to be done.
Expanded answer
1. Sell the home as-is
Selling a home as-is is pretty self-explanatory. Whatever condition it’s in, that’s the condition you’re presenting to the buyer. You may not want to make repairs, or maybe financially it’s not possible, and that’s something we can work with. Homes can sell in all different types of condition, but we need to price and market the property with that condition in mind.
If the buyer is using a mortgage, the lender also has to accept the property’s condition under that loan’s requirements. Selling as-is doesn’t automatically mean the lender will accept everything as it stands. We have to take into consideration how the condition could affect the appraisal, the financing and ultimately the sale.
2. Make corrections to protect the home’s existing value
The second thing to consider is whether you’ve modified a room to use it in a way that’s different from its original design and purpose. For example, maybe you converted a garage into a living room without the required certificate of occupancy, or you removed a bedroom door or closet because you weren’t using the room as a bedroom. Those are things we should look at before listing to determine whether restoring a missing feature or addressing an approval issue could help protect the home’s existing value.
When an appraiser visits the property, they evaluate what’s actually there. During an appraisal that includes an interior visit, they document the home’s features and condition, take photos and prepare a report that the lender’s underwriter reviews. They aren’t simply accepting what the online listing or public records say. A room’s layout, missing features or incomplete work can raise questions about how it should be described and valued.
The appraiser provides an opinion of value, and the lender uses that information, along with its other requirements, to determine whether the property supports the buyer’s loan. That can affect how much financing is available or whether certain work needs to be completed. This is why something that seems minor to a homeowner can deserve attention before the house goes on the market.
3. Make an investment to increase the home’s value
The third reason to do work before selling is if there are opportunities to increase the property’s value. That could include fixing the floors or making other improvements that buyers are likely to pay more for. Bigger projects, such as replacing a roof or catching up on deferred maintenance, need a closer look because they may be about protecting existing value rather than adding value.
If you can make those investments and the likely benefit justifies the cost, time and effort, they may be worth doing. We should figure that out before you spend the money.
I walk through the home with you and point out where these situations apply, so you don’t have to guess about what to leave alone, what to correct and what might be worth investing in. That’s what you bring me there for.
A documented repair decision
At 30 Columbine Lane, I first estimated what the property might sell for as-is. I then compared that number with the cost and likely return of specific improvements. The cleanout allowed fuller evaluation; the broader plan combined restoration of function and condition with preparation for the market. Approximately $50,000 was an estimated work figure, not a verified itemized total, and the initial as-is value was an estimate rather than a completed sale.
Read the 30 Columbine Lane case study →