If you were buying a house, how important would this be?

[Jenny3]

I'm a Realtor and I honestly would not advise my client to repair it right now. You don't know who your Buyer will be (could be a driveway sealant guy!) or what will be important to them. You could spend $2500 now on it, then have a Buyer want a new heater or a new roof or any number of things.

While first impressions are important, if the rest of the house is clean, well-maintained and shows beautifully, the driveway shouldn't be an issue. If it is super important to a Buyer, they will ask for it at the home inspection.

 

[chris31997]

See what you get offer wise. No offers reseal it, if it is fine otherwise just seal it.

We ad a bathroom that was an ocean theme, our realator said to leave it. If people came back and had negative things to say about it than we would redo it. Everyone had great things to say about the bathroom. It was a kid's bathroom.

If it is a very competitive area than you may want to reseal it, just to give yourself the edge. We had the edge when we sold our house, updated house and priced the same as other houses not updated. They were asking way too much, we may have asked alittle too little but had to sell due to a move.

 

[photographymom517]

I definitely wouldn't re-do the entire driveway. I'd get an estimate for seal coating...it can't cost more than a few hundred dollars. We have ours done every 2 years & its never been more than $180 (short driveway but it is three cars wide). If it were me, I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars to make it appear newer...just so the buyer knows that you keep up with your home.

But I also agree that the buyer may want you to fix other things & if you fix the driveway AND whatever they want fixed, it could really lower your profit. I wouldn't spend more than $350-400 tops for the driveway if you get it fixed.

 

[DeltaDiamond001]

I like houses that need a little TLC, so in all honesty, I wouldn't care.

I don't think that goes for most homebuyers though.

Get other estimates. That sounds way too high. Ours was $200 to reseal.

 

[luvmy3]

I think it depends on alot of other things like what condition the house is in, and what kind or amount of land comes with it. I would overlook the driveway if the house was near perfect, without having to put much money into it, and the property was what I wanted.

 

[luvdzny]

Curb appeal is a big factor in home sales. If a buyer drives past a house and thinks it is in need of repair they may not bother to even look at the house. I would at least re-seal and make it look good.

 

[RangerPooh]

Like a previous poster we had a dirt driveway at our old house, so a paved one would be a step above; especially if it was in good shape. Have you asked your realator for their opinion? They might be able to tell you what potential buyers have commented about similar driveways. If it was me I might pass on replacing it unless multiple buyers have commented on it, then I would look into resurfacing it.

 

[angwill]

seal it and it will look brand new. It is simple to do yourself and will be a minimal cost. You will not recoop the costs on what you sell the house for but it will give it a good appearance to help bring in prospective buyers. That said $2500 for a brand new driveway is and excellent price unless you have a very tiny driveway.

 

[grahamgallagher]

We are looking at buying US property, so the first thing we look for is something we can walk into and either use it ourselves or rent it out, so if we had to do any repairs to the road I would forget it, depending on the price - if the price was drastically reduced to compensate for this I would buy.

So, you have two options, either re surface it or offer it as is with a reduction on the market value.

It's all about curb appeal.

 

[crisi]

I agree that:

1. Curb appeal is huge. There are studies out there that show that most buyers make up their mind not to buy your house before going in. If this distracts from curb appeal, seal it, that will help. (The driveway in your photo actually adds to the curb appeal given the setting - its picturesque).

2. You'll loose people looking to move into a house that is "move in ready."