What would you fix before putting a house on the market?

[SandrA9810]

The house is going to go into a short sale, but there's a few major things that need to be fixed to sell as move in ready.

If it's sold as is, only conventional loans and cash sales could go through. It would be a much slimmer chance for an FHA loan to be approved. The three major things that need to get repaired to be qualified as move in ready:
The glass in the sliding glass door needs to be replaced, it's completely shattered out on one side, but the frame still seems to be good.
The front bedroom window needs to be replaced, it's a double pane window and the outside window is broken, and a huge chunk missing. Of course it's the stationary side that's broken.
The garage door opener, the motor sounds like it still works, so probably just need to take the door down and put it back up so it's on track again.
There's a lot of other little things that need to get done too, but not required.

If it's listed for 165K, a conventional loan would require like 33K down, while an FHA loan could be as low as 8K down. The best outcome is to have the house sold, but which route would you take to get it sold? Obviously to me, would be to fix the problems to open it up to a larger market area. It just doesn't seem like there's that many people out there looking with a conventional loan, and this house isn't in bad enough shape to appeal to an investor to flip it.

 

[undertheradar]

You need to get a realtor to walk through the house and give you the list of what might need to be done. Going FHA will open up many more possible repairs needed.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

I would think fixing the windows and broken glass would be a good idea. The garage door opener would be a secondary thing IMO.

But talking with a realtor would be a good idea.

 

[cbg1027]

I'm thirding what the other PP's said - you need to work with a realtor from your area. Every local market is different, so what may be a standard fix up item in my area might not be so 'required' in yours.

You generally need to replace the roof if it has less than a few years left on it.
You should have a wood destroying organism inspection done and do any needed repairs they recommended.
HVAC system should be in working order and not too old - same as with the roof, no one wants to buy a house where they will have a huge repair/replacement to do within a few years of purchase.

Definitely fix the window and sliding door.

 

[scrapquitler]

The house is going to go into a short sale, but there's a few major things that need to be fixed to sell as move in ready.

If it's sold as is, only conventional loans and cash sales could go through. It would be a much slimmer chance for an FHA loan to be approved. The three major things that need to get repaired to be qualified as move in ready:
The glass in the sliding glass door needs to be replaced, it's completely shattered out on one side, but the frame still seems to be good.
The front bedroom window needs to be replaced, it's a double pane window and the outside window is broken, and a huge chunk missing. Of course it's the stationary side that's broken.
The garage door opener, the motor sounds like it still works, so probably just need to take the door down and put it back up so it's on track again.
There's a lot of other little things that need to get done too, but not required.

If it's listed for 165K, a conventional loan would require like 33K down, while an FHA loan could be as low as 8K down. The best outcome is to have the house sold, but which route would you take to get it sold? Obviously to me, would be to fix the problems to open it up to a larger market area. It just doesn't seem like there's that many people out there looking with a conventional loan, and this house isn't in bad enough shape to appeal to an investor to flip it.

Getting the glass fixed for both windows is a simple and inexpensive repair. Proably less than $50 for the bedroom window and maybe $100 for the slider. It's also a security and safety issue. If someone is looking at the house and gets cut on broken glass like that, you (or whoever the homeowner is will have liability for that). It's also a red flag that if something so simple is not taken care of, there are probably bigger problems that are not as obvious. It's going to scare off buyers.

The garage door is likely a simple repair as well. Get someone mechanically minded to just come by and look at it, they can probably guess what the problem is and might be able to offer a simple do it yourself solution to you (WD 40?, a new chain, etc).

I wouldn't do any major renovations (like new carpet, remodeling a bathroom) but simple small projects are something that you should have taken care of to give the house more appeal...there are so many houses on the market now, you don't want buyers rejecting the house and not even getting out of the car to look at it when they see something that makes it look run down like a broken window. Having a home that won't qualify for FHA is going to cut WAAAAY down on potential buyers.

The phrase to keep in mind here is "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish".

 

[kaytieeldr]

In addition to the three obvious fixes that will deter or delay the sale and the above recommendations, I have two more:

What needs to be done that would prevent the current owner from buying that (or any) house? Fix those things. They'll stop other people as well.

I'm not sure I'm remembering this exactly right, but a while back when somebody was asking for tips about buying a house, another poster said she was telling her dad about the house they saw and loved. It 'only' needed small repairs. Her dad pointed out if the current owners couldn't be troubled to fix the small stuff, what major or hidden repairs had they ignored?

 

[SandrA9810]

This is the recommendation of a Realtor. She was here today to draw up the paper work and take pictures of the house. Those are the three things that need to get done, to be considered move in ready. The garage was a bit more optional than necessary.

There's a run down list of "smaller" things that need to be repaired, which for the most part I can do, like fixing the kitchen cabinets or replacing outlets that are finicky. Two bedroom doors also need be replaced. Oh and smoke detectors need to be put in. Which isn't that a law? I also think it would be best to replace all the light bulbs, most of them don't work. Plus the garbage disposal needs to be replaced.

I know things like painting the walls, replacing/cleaning the carpets, cleaning and resealing the grout are usual things most new owners do. Something about not wanting to live in some one else's dirt... don't really know how to explain it. Which might be a few hundred bucks. But I start looking at the things I wrote down, and it would kind of make me want to turn away. With all the other things that need to get done.

The house was built in 2002, original owners, tile roof, slab foundation, and stucco exterior. It's your extremely cooker cutter basic house, with really cheap parts (like the kitchen cabinet hardware).
The last thing I'm worried about is gonna come with an inspector, is this house is like an ant hill. There's trails in the walls, trails outside, massive mounds outside. Everywhere has traces of them. I've been trying to kill them with boric acid and sugar water. I'll put a bait cup out on a trail, and in a day or two, there's two more trails from other directions going after it.
I'm also concerned about the black mold in the other bedroom closet. There's also some along the ceiling in the bathroom.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Anybody who does make an offer on the house with ants and black mold is going to expect the current owner to either pay to have those problems permanently remedied, or is going to request/expect a concession on the price equal to what it will cost the new owner to remove those problems.

And it doesn't matter if I'm going to pay to have the house/carpets (re)cleaned. There's NO way I'm buying a house where they're not.

 

[plummer925]

Anybody who does make an offer on the house with ants and black mold is going to expect the current owner to either pay to have those problems permanently remedied, or is going to request/expect a concession on the price equal to what it will cost the new owner to remove those problems.

And it doesn't matter if I'm going to pay to have the house/carpets (re)cleaned. There's NO way I'm buying a house where they're not.

I completely agree with this! (Saying it from someone currently looking at buying a house and shaking my head at some of them that I have walked in on! It's a buyers market - I can easily walk away from a house - there are 20 others just like it for the same price).

Good luck!

 

[Swan4Me]

$165keems REALLY cheap for California
If they cant afford

THAT mortgage-how on earth will they afford rent?

I dont think glass on sliders can be replaced-I would think the whole door needs replacing

 

[lovemygoofy]

I'm confused on how someone lives with a busted glass door in the first place. Wouldn't it be drafty? I guess it sounds like an obvious fix after first broken.

I'm more confused on why the OP is asking about all this. I thought she was living with some guy somewhere not having bought a house. Of course its not any of my business. I'm just being nosey.

I would ask an inspector to come through with a complete list of things internal and external. To even think of being approved FHA your house has to be pretty good shape.

 

[scrapquitler]

Oh and smoke detectors need to be put in. Which isn't that a law?

Not positive, but that might be a 'for rentals' type of rule. It's probably also a FHA requirement

Which isn't that a law? I also think it would be best to replace all the light bulbs, most of them don't work.

You're living in a house where most of the lightbulbs don't work? Why wouldn't you replace them as they blow out in the course of day to day stuff???


Plus the garbage disposal needs to be replaced.

That's actually not a difficult job. DH and I have very minimal handyman skills and it only took us about an hour to replace the disposal. Look on www.ehow.com or somewhere like that and you can find a step by step guide with pictures. Very simple to do and SO much better than having a broken one!



The last thing I'm worried about is gonna come with an inspector, is this house is like an ant hill. There's trails in the walls, trails outside, massive mounds outside. Everywhere has traces of them. I've been trying to kill them with boric acid and sugar water. I'll put a bait cup out on a trail, and in a day or two, there's two more trails from other directions going after it.

If you have that big of an ant problem, I'd call an exterminator, or use some chemicals. If you are still seeing ants, then what you are doing insn't working.


I'm also concerned about the black mold in the other bedroom closet. There's also some along the ceiling in the bathroom.

This right here is not a 'minor' thing. This is a HUGE one. You have to make sure that it isn't up in the attic and in the walls. Right there you could have a huge deal breaker even if the rest of the house is PERFECT.
Of all the things you listed as repairs that might need to be done, this one is absolutely a MUST do.

 

[ameraumi]

Fix the glass in both the slider and window. As long as the garage door works, put that on the back burner. Absolutely get an exterminator in there to kill the ants and get the mold looked at ASAP. I would not even think about selling a house that has mold visible.

 

[scrapquitler]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm glad you asked so that I didn't have to.

 

[SaraJayne]

How can a house that is less than 10 years old be in that terrible of shape?

For me, as a buyer, I expect a 10 year old house to be in almost new condition.

Is this your house?

 

[SandrA9810]

No, it's not my house. It is my bf's parent's house, and well there's a bunch of people living here (8 in total).

People just don't care to fix things. Well sure, she'll say yeah to fix it, but won't help cover the cost of the item. The kitchen lights went out about 8 months ago, so now you have to turn on the little light above the sink, the light above kitchen table, and the light above the fireplace to have enough light in there. There's three lights in the hallway, only one works. I've replaced them all about twice before, and two of them keep burning out. The lights in the garage don't work, the florescent have been burned out for more than a year, and the light bulbs on the door opener burn out quickly, so I keep a lamp in there for lighting. The last set of florescents in the utility room are burned out, for more than a year as well.

It doesn't take much effort, it is a pain in the rear because of the high ceilings to get to most of them, but no one wants to help with the costs.

The disposal, I have no problems changing it. I was actually there watching the guy change my aunt's disposal and he gave me a run down on how to do it. Plus the person at Home Depot showed me how. (My aunt was gonna have me do it, till she realized she'd save about $40 using the warranty that came with the house).
Plus the top corner of the sink is rusted out (white enamel double sink), and a chip in the clear coat near the drain finally broke off and wore away the white, so there's a black spot about 3" long. Truthfully the whole thing needs to be replaced. However, it's a tiled countertop, and I don't really know how they got it in there. It looks like they tiled after the placement of the sink.

If I spot something that needs to get done, I'll tell my bf how much it costs to fix it. He'll say no, his mother won't care, and it just never gets done. The result of the broken window is from his sister. She threw a rock at the front window years ago, so it's been falling apart for a long time. The glass sliding door was broken by her with a shovel earlier this year. The night that it happened, I asked if she wanted me to cover it. I was gonna buy a sheet of plywood and hard piece of insulation to put on the inside of the wood. I had the tools to get it done, and maybe $40-50 for the stuff I did need. She kept saying no, no, no, she was gonna have some one come fix it. Like 3 days later a few of her friends showed up, and taped a shower curtain to it. There's also an exterior door laying up against the frame on the outside.

His sister would never pay for it, she acts like it was never her fault to begin with....


A lot has changed here in the past year. And yes, I would like to see the best possible outcome of this situation, where there isn't a foreclosure. It would also help his mother get an apartment, because I know that can be a huge red flag when renting. Ohh and she still wants him and me going to live with her...

 

[SandrA9810]

My theory based on investors, is they're gonna want a cheap house to fix up and flip. Ok, it might be cheap, but there's no room for profit because it's right in line with the rest of the neighborhood.
So you appeal to some one who wants to live here. But who's gonna wanna throw out a few thousand just to move in?

 

[LilyWDW]

My theory based on investors, is they're gonna want a cheap house to fix up and flip. Ok, it might be cheap, but there's no room for profit because it's right in line with the rest of the neighborhood.
So you appeal to some one who wants to live here. But who's gonna wanna throw out a few thousand just to move in?

The thing is, people are not flipping houses as often these days because they don't want to get stuck with a home. Houses just are not selling in many markets. It could end up being financial ruin for someone to buy a house to flip if they are in a dead market.

Also, flippers will not want to deal with ant and mold issues. That is beyond what many would be willing to pay for. So, those problems will most likely scare even those flippers that are still out there... especially since so many other houses are available that don't have those problems.

And a real buyer will run far, far away from insect and mold problems if they are smart. Those two issues alone will chase off more people then any broken window or any of the other issue combined. Especially in this market when people can afford to be picky because they have options.

Sadly, in the condition the home is in, I don't see it selling for anything that would be "worth" it.

 

[scrapquitler]

No, it's not my house. It is my bf's parent's house, and well there's a bunch of people living here (8 in total).

People just don't care to fix things. Well sure, she'll say yeah to fix it, but won't help cover the cost of the item. The kitchen lights went out about 8 months ago, so now you have to turn on the little light above the sink, the light above kitchen table, and the light above the fireplace to have enough light in there. There's three lights in the hallway, only one works. I've replaced them all about twice before, and two of them keep burning out. The lights in the garage don't work, the florescent have been burned out for more than a year, and the light bulbs on the door opener burn out quickly, so I keep a lamp in there for lighting. The last set of florescents in the utility room are burned out, for more than a year as well.

It doesn't take much effort, it is a pain in the rear because of the high ceilings to get to most of them, but no one wants to help with the costs.

Splitting the cost of a few lightbulbs eight ways shouldn't cause too much hassle for people. Lightbulbs are something that are the tenants responsibility, not the landlord's responsibility. But honestly, if the bulbs are blowing out excessively fast (which it sounds like they might be), then there might be an electrical short or some miswiring, which is another thing that will drive potential buyers far away.

The disposal, I have no problems changing it. I was actually there watching the guy change my aunt's disposal and he gave me a run down on how to do it. Plus the person at Home Depot showed me how. (My aunt was gonna have me do it, till she realized she'd save about $40 using the warranty that came with the house).
Plus the top corner of the sink is rusted out (white enamel double sink), and a chip in the clear coat near the drain finally broke off and wore away the white, so there's a black spot about 3" long. Truthfully the whole thing needs to be replaced. However, it's a tiled countertop, and I don't really know how they got it in there. It looks like they tiled after the placement of the sink.

If I spot something that needs to get done, I'll tell my bf how much it costs to fix it. He'll say no, his mother won't care, and it just never gets done. The result of the broken window is from his sister. She threw a rock at the front window years ago, so it's been falling apart for a long time. The glass sliding door was broken by her with a shovel earlier this year. The night that it happened, I asked if she wanted me to cover it. I was gonna buy a sheet of plywood and hard piece of insulation to put on the inside of the wood. I had the tools to get it done, and maybe $40-50 for the stuff I did need. She kept saying no, no, no, she was gonna have some one come fix it. Like 3 days later a few of her friends showed up, and taped a shower curtain to it. There's also an exterior door laying up against the frame on the outside.

His sister would never pay for it, she acts like it was never her fault to begin with....


A lot has changed here in the past year. And yes, I would like to see the best possible outcome of this situation, where there isn't a foreclosure. It would also help his mother get an apartment, because I know that can be a huge red flag when renting. Ohh and she still wants him and me going to live with her...

RUN, SANDRA, RUN.

The more things you mention, the more that I think this house is never going to sell (and it DOES sound like a total gut job rehab to me)

I wouldn't want to be living with this woman who doesn't seem to be interested in protecting her own investment, which means she probably isn't going to be concerned with being responsible with your posessions that are in the house.

I think you seriously need to consider finding a roommate that will be more responsible and not get yourself enmeshed in other people's fiascos anymore. It's always something....

 

[ilovemk76]

No, it's not my house. It is my bf's parent's house, and well there's a bunch of people living here (8 in total).

People just don't care to fix things. Well sure, she'll say yeah to fix it, but won't help cover the cost of the item. The kitchen lights went out about 8 months ago, so now you have to turn on the little light above the sink, the light above kitchen table, and the light above the fireplace to have enough light in there. There's three lights in the hallway, only one works. I've replaced them all about twice before, and two of them keep burning out. The lights in the garage don't work, the florescent have been burned out for more than a year, and the light bulbs on the door opener burn out quickly, so I keep a lamp in there for lighting. The last set of florescents in the utility room are burned out, for more than a year as well.

It doesn't take much effort, it is a pain in the rear because of the high ceilings to get to most of them, but no one wants to help with the costs.

The disposal, I have no problems changing it. I was actually there watching the guy change my aunt's disposal and he gave me a run down on how to do it. Plus the person at Home Depot showed me how. (My aunt was gonna have me do it, till she realized she'd save about $40 using the warranty that came with the house).
Plus the top corner of the sink is rusted out (white enamel double sink), and a chip in the clear coat near the drain finally broke off and wore away the white, so there's a black spot about 3" long. Truthfully the whole thing needs to be replaced. However, it's a tiled countertop, and I don't really know how they got it in there. It looks like they tiled after the placement of the sink.

If I spot something that needs to get done, I'll tell my bf how much it costs to fix it. He'll say no, his mother won't care, and it just never gets done. The result of the broken window is from his sister. She threw a rock at the front window years ago, so it's been falling apart for a long time. The glass sliding door was broken by her with a shovel earlier this year. The night that it happened, I asked if she wanted me to cover it. I was gonna buy a sheet of plywood and hard piece of insulation to put on the inside of the wood. I had the tools to get it done, and maybe $40-50 for the stuff I did need. She kept saying no, no, no, she was gonna have some one come fix it. Like 3 days later a few of her friends showed up, and taped a shower curtain to it. There's also an exterior door laying up against the frame on the outside.

His sister would never pay for it, she acts like it was never her fault to begin with....


A lot has changed here in the past year. And yes, I would like to see the best possible outcome of this situation, where there isn't a foreclosure. It would also help his mother get an apartment, because I know that can be a huge red flag when renting. Ohh and she still wants him and me going to live with her...

How would I fix this house? I would get the other 7 leeches to pay for living there and then I could afford the mortgage.