Something amazing has happened in our neck of the woods…IT SNOWED! And folks I am not talking about a fine dusting. No, real snow, like the kind you see on movies. It was wonderful–but truth be told after 24 hours I was over it and ready for our hot Texas days!

You know what is great about the snow though? You look out and everything is so perfect, so pristine. A bright, white blanket of fluff envelopes your surroundings for as far as you can see, transforming a lifeless landscape into a masterpiece worthy of a Hallmark card. But, you know snow is tricky. One minute your Hallmark card is beautiful and the next its a hot mess of slush, dead trees and abandoned buildings. What happened?! Where’s our Kinkade painting?

The snow…it melted, it’s gone (I think it remember it didn’t belong in Texas, ha!). So now back to reality, the small out building with busted windows and a jankity roof, the trees which are nothing more than bare, scrawny limbs in the winter months, and a road full of ruts and pot holes. The snow was a beautiful temporary cover to the ugliness. It was nice while it lasted though, but back to the real world!

I think often when selling a home, sellers want to snow their buyers, go for the “quick fix” for any problems with their home. But, I am here to tell you don’t cover up problems…FIX THEM!!! I believe strongly any problems need to be addressed prior to putting your house on the market. The last thing your buyer wants is your undone to do list! When you leave issues unfixed you are allowing for repair requests from buyers that cut into your bottom dollar.

Also, if you just cover up problems they will be unveiled at your home inspection. As quickly as those home buyers fell in LOVE with your house they can fall right back out of love with it! I understand putting money in your home before you sell is frustrating, but stop and ask yourself…“Do I want to sell my house?”, because although $600 sounds like a lot to fix that electrical issue, a price drop of $20,000 is much worse because your home has sat on the market over six months.

If you’re not sure if your home needs some fixes, have a pre-inspection done. This takes out any surprises for you. The problems will come to light at some point, why not fix them before?

Home buying and selling is a stressful time for people, but if you do your prep work it doesn’t have to be! Not sure where to start, need some help? Contact ReDesign Inc.

Stay Warm!