Should You Make Repairs Before Selling Your Baltimore Home?

By Lee Tessier

Lee Tessier is a Baltimore native of 40 years with a great passion for Real Estate. A leader in the sales industry for over 30 years, Lee is known for his consistency and follow-through, with 80% of his business coming from referrals.

Before you spend a dollar getting your home ready to sell, ask yourself one question: Who am I trying to sell to?

Almost every repair decision comes back to that, and getting it wrong is how homes end up sitting on the market.

There are two very different buyers out there right now, and they want opposite things. One will pay more for a home that’s completely finished. The other expects a discount because they’re the one doing the work. So when you fix a few things, leave others undone, and price it like it’s fully updated, you lose both. The move-in buyer sees a home that still needs work, and the fixer-upper buyer thinks it’s overpriced.

Most sellers treat repairs like simple math: spend $5,000, make $5,000 back. That’s not really what’s happening. Zillow analyzed more than 2,000,000 home sales and 600 phrases used in listing descriptions to see what actually moved prices. Homes described as turnkey sold for about 2.9% more than expected, and remodeled homes sold for about 2.2% higher. Also, homes described as fixer-uppers sold for about 14% less. Doing the work might earn you a few points. Not doing it can cost you double digits.

There are far more buyers looking for a move-in-ready home than a project. A survey of more than 2,000 homeowners found that 62% bought move-in-ready homes, while only 28% bought a fixer-upper, and many said they wouldn’t do it again. When money’s already tight, buyers aren’t just thinking about the price. They’re thinking about what they’ll spend right after they move in. A roof, flooring, paint, an HVAC system - none of that rolls into the mortgage. They’re writing a check for it almost immediately. That’s why updated homes keep pulling more buyers and stronger offers.

Most sellers don’t think about this, but it matters.

You don’t actually avoid paying for the repairs. You just decide when you pay and who’s in control. Fix them before you list, and you control the contractor, the timeline, and the quality. Skip them, and they show up on the inspection report after you’re already under contract, when the buyer knows you’ve packed boxes, booked movers, and want to get to closing. That’s not a strong place to negotiate from.

Many sellers would happily make the improvements if they had the cash on hand. That’s exactly why we created our Rehab Refresh Program. We’ll front up to $10,000 for qualified repairs before your home hits the market, and you don’t pay us back until settlement. Paint, flooring, curb appeal - the updates that actually matter - without coming out of pocket first.

None of this means every home needs work. If yours is right for the move-in buyer, we’ll find the repairs that actually pay off and skip the ones that just eat time and money. If it makes more sense as-is, that’s fine too. We price it right from day one and market it to buyers looking for a project, and we can even give you an instant offer that settles in as little as two weeks or on your timeline. The point is to have a strategy rather than a guess.

Before you spend anything, let’s figure out who your home is for. Give us a call at 410-638-9555, email us at lee@leetessier.com, or visit leetessier.com.

We’ll walk through the house with you, show you what we’d fix and what we’d leave alone, tell you whether Rehab Refresh, an instant offer, or a standard sale makes the most sense, and help you see what your home could really be worth.