Given the cost of moving to a new home, it’s understandable that most people will be hesitant to invest in the property they’re leaving behind. After all, you’ve become used to the toilet handle that has to be jiggled and the electrical outlet that hasn’t functioned in a decade.

You probably don’t even think of these things as issues at all, and they certainly wouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re wondering if there are any jobs about the house you need to do to help sell it. If you do spot these things, you’ll probably just think that the new purchasers will just have to tolerate the peculiarities of your house.

In reality, however, they most likely will not tolerate these things. Indeed, small (and even significant) maintenance problems that you have ignored or just got used to could discourage purchasers from making an offer at all, or to make one but to discover that there are problems later and pull out of the transactions.

The last thing you want is for repair problems to force you to relist your property. With that in mind, here are some of the most important things to fix before you sell your house. 

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Faulty Wiring 

Electrical issues are a major source of worry since they cause approximately 51,000 electrical fires each year. Electrical problems can be solved in a variety of ways, ranging from basic, low-cost repairs to costly, extensive rewiring.

Fortunately, the latter is virtually never required. Even houses constructed in the 1960s and 1970s with less-than-safe aluminum wiring are grandfathered into current standards and do not need to be updated. However, this does not mean you can afford to overlook any problems.

Any electrical repair you need will most likely be on a lesser scale, such as missing wire nuts, open or broken junction boxes, frayed wiring, and malfunctioning light switches or outlets. A skilled electrician can repair these. Another expensive electrical repair is if your circuit breaker does not match your home’s amperage requirements. Whatever the expense, it must be repaired before you can sell, or it may create significant problems later on.

Poor Drainage 

Put simply, drainage means  how water is diverted away from your house. This could be rain, for example, and this is the most common type of water that drainage will have to deal with.

Basements that have obvious water patches and stains, gutters that are blocked and clogged, downspouts that make more problems than they solve because they direct water towards the house and not away from it, and soggy soil around the foundation line are all indications that you have problems in this area that need to be addressed. 

Installing extensions to the downspout and gutter screening to avoid blockages can make gutter cleaning a breeze.

If your drainage issues are the result of a sloping yard, you may have to explore regrading your grass, which might be expensive. If you haven’t checked your drainage for a while, inadequate drainage may have caused more severe problems with your roof or foundation.

Roof Problems 

Water backs up and collects around the edges of your roof when your gutters are blocked up. This can cause water damage to your shingles and it can make your wooden fascia rot. If you ignore this damage for too long, you will need to replace your roof, which may cost tens of thousands of dollars depending on the kind of roofing you have.

However, if you see some water leaking into your home after a rainstorm, don’t assume you need a new roof. In all likelihood, you will be able to fix your roof issues by simply replacing damaged weather stripping and tiles, which will be far less costly. At the very least, it’s a great place to start.

Foundation Problems 

Improper drainage around the outside of your house is one of many reasons foundation problems occur. If you’re fortunate, your home’s foundation problems will be small ones, caused by natural settling over time. 

If your house has significant foundation issues, you’ve probably already seen indications of the damage. This could include floors that have a slant to them, doors that keep opening on their own, windows with gaps around them, cracks in the walls, or perhaps even external gaps.

Worst-case situations result in costs of $10,000 or more, and these repairs are critical. A badly damaged foundation jeopardizes the structural stability of the whole house, making it almost impossible to sell if not restored.

Poor Upkeep 

Peeling paint, faded carpets, broken tiles, and more are all aesthetic problems that may seem trivial, but they have the potential to derail your sale. Giving your house a mini-facelift has the additional benefit of making it more attractive to purchasers.

Consider a new coat of paint and replacing the carpeting if it is more than five to seven years old as the initial aesthetic repairs. In addition, you should repair any minor damage, such as repairing cracked tiles and fastening loose railings. You might even consider a double hung window replacement.

If your kitchen and bathrooms are outdated, you can modernize their appearance with a few low-cost improvements such as new light fixtures, faucets, and cabinet handles.

However, don’t spend more than a few hundred dollars on improvements to make your house more appealing since you’re unlikely to see a return on that investment. Buyers may be drawn to the home because of the aesthetic improvements, but they are unlikely to spend extra money for them.

Faulty Plumbing 

If you have water coming into your house and it isn’t raining outside, you most likely have a plumbing issue. And if you have a plumbing issue, you will have water damage.

Water damage is especially concerning since moisture may lead to more significant problems such as mildew and dry rot. The cost of repairing water damage is determined by a number of variables, including the source of the water, the size of the affected area, and how long the damage went undetected.

Apart from water damage, plumbing problems vary from simple fixes, such as leaks around faucets or toilets, to broken pipes that must be replaced. Some leaks can be repaired very cheaply by replacing worn out components. More complicated issues, such as blocked drains or pipe replacement, require the skills of a professional plumber.

Heating, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning Issues 

You can’t sell a home in the middle of winter with a heater that doesn’t work, and this is why you need to keep your HVAC system in good working order. If your system is operating inefficiently or isn’t functioning properly, you don’t absolutely need to replace it. Your HVAC equipment may be repairable by a skilled expert. Just be prepared to pay a fixed charge for the service visit, plus extra expenses for any repairs or components required.

Your house most likely has extra ventilation in addition to the air supplied by your HVAC unit. This includes kitchen and bathroom fans, as well as attic soffit vents to avoid overheating. If a home inspection identifies inadequate ventilation as a problem, it can be resolved by installing more ventilation in your attic or simply removing any obstructions from your current vents.

No two homes are identical, whether they are one-of-a-kind or part of a mass-produced complex. This means that your house will have its own set of repair problems to deal with. Identifying these issues, doing something about them, and ensuring that your home is ready to sell, is crucial if you do want to move home. The more you can do, the more likely someone will want to buy your house.