Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

What home improvements should I skip before selling?

Skip improvements that reflect your taste rather than the market's: a high-end kitchen remodel, specialty tile, custom built-ins or landscaping you would want for yourself. The Saskatchewan REALTORS Association's comparable-sale data shows buyers pay for a clean, functional, well-maintained home, not for a personal renovation project they did not choose and will likely undo.

The test is whether a stranger would pay full price for the choice, not whether you liked living with it. A sunroom addition, a swimming pool or a wallpapered accent wall can cost thousands and add little to what a buyer will offer, because the next owner may rip it out within a year.

Cosmetic refreshes are different from structural upgrades, and the two get confused constantly. Paint, cleaning, decluttering and fixing obvious defects almost always help, and a buyer's own home inspection, typically $400 to $600, will catch a genuine structural issue regardless of what you spend on cosmetics.

Joel Dyck walks sellers through which of their planned projects will help and which will just eat time and cash before a listing goes live. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

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