When the time comes to sell your home<\/a>, particularly if it\u2019s an older property, the last thing you want is potential buyers making a list of the things they\u2019ll need to fix if they purchase it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Those barriers, however small they may be, could be the difference between having a few extra bidders at auction to help drive the price up, or those same potential buyers walking away because they don\u2019t want to play Mr. Fix-it once they move in.<\/p>\n Here are five things you should consider fixing before putting your home on the market.<\/p>\n Selling homes is often a numbers game \u2013 the more people you get through the door, the more likely you are to sell and the higher the price is likely to be.<\/p>\n Street appeal sells so make sure your front facade is up to scratch. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mooney Real Estate<\/a> Principal, Peggy Wilcox says it\u2019s important that the property makes a good impression on people as they arrive, or drive past.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you turn buyers off before they even get in the house, it\u2019s going to be a lot harder to sell,\u201d Wilcox says.<\/p>\n That means fixing fences or anything that\u2019s visibly amiss from the street.<\/p>\n \u201cStreet appeal is obviously a big thing. Even just a crappy letterbox that\u2019s rusted, for the sake of going to Bunnings and getting a new one for $200, it makes a big difference,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve got fences that are broken or falling over and things like that, just fix them and straighten them up. They\u2019re always a big issue for buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s cheap, it\u2019s relatively easy and it\u2019ll almost certainly pay for itself, come auction or sale time\u00a0\u2013<\/span> a fresh coat of paint<\/a> to fix any blemishes or a tired d\u00e9cor will make a world of difference.<\/p>\n Adrian Bo from McGrath Real Estate Coogee says walls with marked, chipped or damaged paint are very noticeable to buyers and need to be remedied.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally you would paint both inside and outside, because peeling paint is quite common and even though it\u2019s just peeling paint, some people can mistake it as a leak or damage,\u201d Bo says.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes the ceilings internally don\u2019t need it, but usually you would just freshen up the whole house. For the cost involved, you may as well paint the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n A fresh coat of paint\u00a0is cheap, relatively easy and it\u2019ll almost certainly pay for itself. Picture: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n How\u2019s your carpet looking?<\/p>\n If it\u2019s significantly worn, stained or damaged, Bo says you should look at either replacing it, or pulling it up if there are floorboards beneath.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the carpet isn\u2019t in great condition and there are floorboards underneath, that can be quite an affordable option, because you won\u2019t be paying for materials, just labour, because you\u2019re just ripping up the carpet,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe labour cost is just sanding and polishing the floorboards. If floorboards are not an option, new carpet can be good in the bedrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n How to choose a floor finish<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Over the years you\u2019ve probably learned to avoid that rogue paver or brick that sticks out slightly from your garden path. In fact, you\u2019ve probably forgotten it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n But first-time visitors to your home will almost certainly find a way to trip on it, so Wilcox says you should fix anything that could trip or impede people as they walk through the house.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at the safety issues is one of my biggest concerns. You don\u2019t want people walking through and tripping over anything,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cGardens and pathways, as you\u2019re walking up to the front door, if someone trips over a paver that\u2019s raised a little bit, that\u2019s going to be in their head.\u201d<\/p>\n People should be able to walk around without tripping over anything. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Leaks or missing tiles<\/a> will be among the first things that are picked up in a building and pest inspection, so if you know there are issues there, get ahead of the game and fix it now.<\/p>\n Re-doing an entire roof isn\u2019t cheap, but Bo says an obviously damaged roof will either deter buyers, or cause them to look for other defective areas throughout the home.<\/p>\n Missing roof tiles will be among the first things that are picked up in a building and pest inspection. Picture: Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIf the roof is in poor condition and there are missing tiles or leaks or anything like that that people always thought they\u2019d get fixed, this is a good time to do it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s usually the biggest red flag that does pop up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n <\/p><\/div>\n Realestate au <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first impression<\/h2>\n
![\"house](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/24164057\/house-repairs-to-sell_800x600.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThe walls<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/30093138\/Painting-friends-2000x1500.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThe floors<\/h2>\n
Potential hazards<\/h2>\n
![\"garden](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/14173531\/Garden-path.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nThe roof<\/h2>\n
![\"roof](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.realestate.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/24164010\/roof-repair-after-storm_2000x1500.jpg?resize=2000%2C1499&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n