What’s worth doing before you sell?

What needs fixing, and what’s optional?

Walk through the home and make a list. Separate repairs that need professional attention from changes that mainly improve appearance. Fix underlying problems rather than covering them up. Sue can help set priorities; qualified trades can assess the work and quote for it.

Start with changes buyers will notice.

A tidy entrance, clear rooms and good lighting may be enough to make a difference. Compare smaller updates with major kitchen, bathroom or basement work before deciding. A renovation has no guaranteed return; the cost, time, quality and competing homes all matter.

Check approvals and leave enough time.

For structural changes or larger projects, check the municipality’s permit requirements and any condo-corporation requirements. Get the scope, quote and schedule in writing. Allow time to finish and take photos, and agree on cleaning or staging before setting a listing date.

Ontario ↗

What will each job achieve?

Ask what a buyer will notice, the full cost and whether the job will delay listing. Keep necessary repairs separate from cosmetic choices.

• Repairs: obtain a qualified assessment of condition and safety before choosing the work.
• Presentation: compare cleaning, lighting, paint and layout against actual buyer objections.
• Major upgrades: compare quotes, permits and completion risk with relevant finished and unrenovated sales.

Ontario · Building permits ↗

Work out what the spending would need to achieve.

Hypothetical comparison with selling in the current condition, in Canadian dollars. Assume C$12,000 for work and C$3,000 in added holding expenses, including applicable taxes. Test different sale-price increases and additional selling costs, also tax-inclusive. The sale-price changes are assumptions, not promised renovation returns; the additional fees are not a commission schedule. At a C$15,000 price increase, C$1,000 in extra selling costs would still leave you C$1,000 behind. Review comparable sales, written quotes and the completion timetable with Sue before choosing.

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