By Katie Wainman | May 26, 2020

 

Have you ever been to a friend's house and you have to give a little extra oomph to open a door, or the light switches flip backwards? If you are just a guest, it does not really matter. However, if you are selling that house, then those quirks might be a turnoff to a potential buyer.

Buyers do not necessarily want to walk into a house to find out that there are a number of small repairs that need to be made. It can give off the impression that a seller did not take good care of the home, or that they let minor fixes go ignored for too long. Small problems tend to lead to bigger problems, so as a seller it is important to make any minor repairs you can to avoid scaring off buyers. Here are some of the most common quirks that should be fixed if you plan to put your home on the market:

1. Backward hot and cold water faucets
Is there anything more annoying than this? Not only can it show that there might have been some failed DIY work going on in the house, but it also could make a buyer start to wonder what other faulty issues are in the home. Before putting your home on the market, think about calling up a plumber to look into this.

2. Stuck doors
The front door of a home should be as welcoming as possible, so it can be a bit embarrassing if someone has to put a little muscle into opening it. A potential buyer will be instantly putt-off if they experience issues with the functionality of the front door. Stuck doors can be a nuisance, but a quick call to a contractor can help fix those sticky frames!

3. Propped up windows
It is not very appealing to walk into a house to see a window propped open with a 2x4, and a potential buyer does not want to be tasked with that obvious needed repair. Even if you try to hide it by simply keeping the windows closed, a buyer who conducts a thorough home search will likely try and open windows to check their functionality anyway.

In most cases, fixing a window that will not stay up can be surprisingly easy. Hop online to watch fix-it tutorials (if you are confident in your DIY skills), or call a professional to see what needs fixing. Either way, it should be taken care of before you list your home.

4. Dragging backyard gate
A beautiful backyard can be ruined by the noise and poor appearance of a dragging gate. Usually a dragging gate can be reinforced with new brackets and bolts to help keep it sturdy. It might take a little bit of work to figure how to replace your gate, but it will be worth it in the end.

5. Wobbly ceiling fan
If a potential buyer is diligent during the home showing, they are going to test any fans in the house to make sure they are working properly. It can feel a bit scary walking into a room feeling like the fan is about to fly off the ceiling. This could be a minor fix, meaning that the fan just needs to be tightened, or you might have to replace it completely. Fixing a fan could make a difference in the sale of your home!

Looking for more advice during the buying/selling process? Visit www.crye-leike.com/blogs for more real estate tips and tricks!

ABOUT CRYE-LEIKE: Crye-Leike Real Estate Services (www.crye-leike.com), a full service real estate company for over 40 years, is ranked as the third largest independently owned real estate firm in the nation and the largest serving Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and the Mid-South. Crye-Leike has more than 3,200 sales associates, over 800 employees and 140+ company-owned and franchise offices spread across nine states. It generated $6.5 billion in sales volume and 29,925 closed transaction sides corporate wide in 2019 - its biggest year ever - and is on track to achieve the company's goal of $6.8 billion in sales volume this year.