K

Property Playbook

Selling a home that needs repairs

Decide what to fix, credit, disclose, price around, or leave alone before listing a home.

Best for: Sellers deciding between pre-listing work, credits, pricing strategy, and as-is positioning.

Build decision packet Use Start Here

Plain English

What do I do first?

This page puts the steps in order so you do not need to know the expert words before you start.

Start here: Separate repairs into safety/lender blockers, inspection negotiation risks, buyer-perception quick wins, and cosmetic wish-list items.

Quote: The price and work list someone gave you.
Scope: What is included and what is not included.
Proof: Photos, receipts, readings, reports, and notes.
Deductible: The money you may pay before insurance helps.
Cleanup: Stop, dry, remove, clean, or make safe.
Rebuild: Put the home back together: walls, floors, cabinets, paint, and fixtures.

First move

Separate repairs into safety/lender blockers, inspection negotiation risks, buyer-perception quick wins, and cosmetic wish-list items.

Mistake check

  • Do not spend on cosmetic work before safety, lender, insurance, and inspection blockers are understood.
  • Do not assume every dollar of prep returns at sale.
  • Do not hide known issues that should be disclosed under local rules.

What people forget

  • Sale horizon
  • Market temperature
  • Buyer expectations by price point
  • Contractor timing
  • Cash needed before listing

What makes it go bad

  • Prep delays the listing into a worse market window.
  • Repairs reveal more work and burn cash.
  • A buyer still asks for credits after the seller already paid for cosmetic work.

Step-by-step

  1. Step 1

    Run prep ROI before spending

    Use the prep ROI calculator to sort work by buyer impact, time pressure, and likely negotiation value.

  2. Step 2

    Model net proceeds with and without prep

    Compare expected sale price, prep cash, concessions, commission, closing costs, and payoff.

  3. Step 3

    Choose fix, credit, disclose, or price around

    Every repair should have a reason: removes a blocker, reduces buyer fear, improves net, or is better left as a credit.

Documents to collect

  • Repair estimates
  • Seller disclosure notes
  • Agent pricing analysis
  • Before/after photos
  • Receipts

Packet prompt

Create a packet with repairs sorted by blocker, quick win, maybe, skip, credit, and net effect.

Open the decision packet