Preparing an Older House for Sale

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joesxm3

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I have seen some videos from an interesting realtor named Diane Cardano. She talked about being proactive preparing an older house for putting on the market. She suggests hiring your own inspector so you can identify things that the buyer inspector will flag and either fix them or prepared to discuss them and have your own estimates of the cost to remediate so you don't have to accept inflated buyer estimates. She also talked about problems related to improvements done long ago when no permit was taken or where there is no proof of inspection. She suggests having the history of modifications organized with documentation or some sort of proof that it was done correctly. This may open the can of worms of stuff done 40 years ago not meeting current building codes.

I have a couple big items on the list. My septic system is shot and was out of code when I bought the house in 1987 (I should have walked away but I was young and ignorant). There is a very high water table and I will need an engineered system. BTD big time, but at least I know to keep the documentation when I do it.

The upstairs bathroom was remodeled by the seller before I bought the house. Not sure if it was ever properly inspected. The good news is that it has a stupid double jet tub that leaks, so I will probably redo the whole thing. So that can be proven to be new and done correctly.

One video discussed proper flooring. The kitchen is quite dated, but it does have nice subtle brown 9x9 tiles. I think that is good. The entrance foyer has 8x8 off-white tiles with blue flowers arranged in 4 tile units. She warned about fad type tiles, but these are what they are. Maybe not modern but maybe nice looking to some.

The other part of the first floor is a living room and dining room (part of the original house) and an addition TV room. I think that the inspector in 1987 told me that under the wall to wall carpet was hardwood flooring but under the carpet in the addition was plywood.

Getting to the main question . . .

I am thinking that I should remove the carpet and return the floor to hardwood and get a nicer rec room carpet for the addition.

Om the second floor, the rooms still have wood flooring. But some of the boards show noticeable gaps between the boards. Is this normal for older floors? Can these older floors be sanded down and refinished?

So basically looking for advice on refinishing the wood floors. No idea what the first floor wood looks like under the carpet.

Feel free to discuss the other stuff like being proactive on inspections and whether the worry about non-permitted work was click-bait for the video.

Thanks
 
I think these things vary from one location to another. I’d be interested in what a local realtor would recommend, especially one with experience in your particular neighborhood.
 
I wouldn't worry about inspections on 40 year old renovations.
Some of the answer depends on your market and the expected type of buyer.
I sold 4 SFRs last year. All buyers where FHA, so the home needed both an FHA inspection (picky) and an FHA appraisal.
That buyer class is all about cash. They don't have any. If the home appraises high enough, they will ask for cash back/seller paid closing costs and raise their purchase price accordingly.

You could hire your own inspections only to have the buyer chose somebody else who pays less attn to some areas and finds issues that your inspector did not see a problem with.

Net: I see no value in a pre-emptive inspection. If the house is a real fixer upper I would sell "as-is". Otherwise go with what your realtor suggests. The bigger issue becomes what you put on the disclosure statement.
 
I wouldn't do anything cosmetic. An older house that looks dated/old is perfect for someone who plans to remodel anyway. The worst thing for me is seeing an older house that's been redone but not to my taste - I wouldn't want to rip up newer flooring or a kitchen or anything that's new.

In your case, I'd address the septic, but not the rest. Leave that for the buyer and price per comps that are in similar condition to yours.
 
Are you planning on selling? If not, I’d just do whatever you want to make the house comfortable for you.

As for the wood floors, you’ll have to pull up the carpet and evaluate. If there’s solid wood, there’s a lot that can be done, even to the point of filling gaps. The gaps can also be left alone if a more rustic look is what you’re after. Are you planning on doing the work? Resurfacing a floor is a major job and at some point, you’ll need to evacuate the house depending on what finishes are used.
 
FWIW, our old home was 120 years old. It was in excellent shape but at that age had a few quirks.

Our realtor set it up that any buyer inspection would be "for informational purposes only", essentially, "Take it or leave it, but we're not fixing anything or adjusting the price."

It sold way over asking to the very first open house visitor. It was in the middle of Covid so we accepted without any further questions.
 
I'm no expert, but I've sold a few houses, and what I do before the sale is make an assessment of all of the things an inspector will find and separate them into "lender concerns" and "other". If you're not crawling under the house and in the attic and don't have experience, do hire an inspector and get the list (they just make one list, typically, it's up to you to say which are lender concerns (those that would prevent a loan from going through). Being a city boy, I've never had the septic thing, but that certainly sounds like a lender concern. And anything even remotely resembling a leaking roof. Any wood rot (and don't try to just paint over it). Unless the screens are perfect, just take them all off and put them in the crawl space or attic.

With your own list, you can decide if it's worth fixing the "other" things. Say a window doesn't operate. If you can buy a part for a few bucks and fix it, that will make the buyer's inspector list shorter, which isn't a bad thing. But you also respond that you're not going to address everything on the inspector's list, and that's fine.

As to the floors, if you think the place would "show better" with shiny wood floors, then I'd do it. You can fill the gaps and sand old floors and they look amazing (first hand experience there). I just rented the machines and did it myself, so cost very little and the place showed much better than with nasty old carpet. If you leave the carpet, most buyers are going to be thinking "we have to tear that up, and I don't know what's under it". And if you replace the carpet, it might be nicer looking, but might not be to the buyer's taste.
 
The last house I bought had hardwood under the carpet in all of the house, except for the addition which was a dining room and master bedroom. We pulled up the carpet and refinished the hardwood floors. Then we put laminate that was close to the color of the hardwood floors in the addition which just had plywood. It ended up looking great.
 
I would not have a pre-emptive inspection done because you are compelled to disclose known problems to prospective buyers on the property information disclosure once the pre-emptive inspection report might turn suspected problems into known problems. You are not compelled to report suspected problems. You can get estimates to remediate things that you suspect so you will be armed with information if cetain issues arise during the property inspection.

On the septic system, has it failed? Does it back up into the house or do you get sewer smells from your leach field? Have you actualy had problems with it or is it just old but functioning as designed? How often do you have the septic tank pumped out? Has that vendor mentioned any problems with the septic tank?

You say that it was out of code when you bought in 1987. Are you sure about that? Or was it not up to current code when you bought in 1987 but grandfathered since it was up to code when it was installed and the code changed after it was installed but before you bought the house.

If the septic is just old but functioning as designed and you are not having problems/issues with it then that is what I would say. The septic system at our family camp is over 50 years old but is still running like a clock so just because it is old doesn't mean that it is bad.

When we sold our Florida condo we had a 15 year old HVAC system that was old but that we had inspected annually and it was working fine. We disclosed same in the property information report. The buyer's home inspector found that the system was 15 years old but was running fine. The buyer's reported to us that their home inspector found that our HVAC was 15 years old and they wanted us to replace it at our cost before closing. We said no, your home inspector found the HVAC to be exactly as we described it in the property information disclosure. The buyer didn't push it any further. They were just trying to shake us down for more $$$$ but we didn't bite.

I woud not say boo about any changes or improvements made before you owned the property. Any information that you have on those is second hand at best or just guesses.

I wouldn't do anything on the flooring unless numerous realtors tell you that the flooring is an impediment to sale or if you get feedback from prospective buyers that they are turned off by the flooring after seeing the property. You can get estimates to replace the flooring with LVT and be prepared to concede that amount in price negotiations. I would not go back to hardwood as it is a messy process... easier to just remove the current flooring and replace with LVT.

And I'm with other posters in that I would rather buy a house that needs work and do the work to my tastes rather than have to live with the seller's tastes but at the same time I concede that there are a lot of buyers who want move-in ready and are turned off by the need for cosmetic improvements.
 
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Teacher Terry said:
The last house I bought had hardwood under the carpet in all of the house, except for the addition which was a dining room and master bedroom. We pulled up the carpet and refinished the hardwood floors. Then we put laminate that was close to the color of the hardwood floors in the addition which just had plywood. It ended up looking great.
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Our old house had beautiful hardwood floors, laid down in intricate geometric patterns. Done over a century ago by real craftsmen. Friends would take pictures of them.

The new kids that bought the house? They painted the floors! Idiots.
 
If this is all about selling the home:

I recommend getting and reading a copy of your state's required disclosure form to start with. Washington's Form 17 does not require sellers to take responsibility for knowing all about the entire history of the home's improvements and I doubt any other state's form requires it either.

As a general thing we've had good luck asking real estate agents their opinions about what we should fix or spruce up. In one case her suggestion was a forehead-slapping "why didn't we think of that" experience (we had wanted to remove an interior wall but hesitated because it would mess up the flooring, she suggested cutting it down to a waist-high half-wall instead, which opened up the feel of the space just about as well as removing the entire wall would have done but was MUCH easier and cheaper).
 
Thanks for all the quick replies.

My motivation for doing the improvements is mainly to try to get ahead of things and give me some optionality should I decide that I am getting too old and want to move to something easier to handle. It is a two story house and I am coming to the conclusion that trying to age with thew second floor is not a good idea. I also might like to do something to make it nicer to live in since, being a single guy, have not done much to keep up with cosmetic things since 1987 when I bought the place.

My street is basically built on wetlands. There is a very high water table. My basement has two sump pumps that run most of the time. Back in the 1990's the basement was so damp that the labels peeled off of my wine bottles. I worked for nearly a year sealing cracks and using this stuff called Ion-Bond Armor to seal the concrete walls and floors. The basement is dry now, but it has pumps and dehumidifiers.

When the home inspector told me that the water was flowing backwards into the septic tank I should have ran but I did not know better. The leach field is supposed to be two feet above the high water mark and it is under it. The system has not failed and works ok because it is only me and I don't use a lot of water. The system would probably not support a family of four. The sanitarian who inspected in 1987 said it was grandfathered in but he would know who to look for if there were problems. The baffles on the tank are gone.

So it is pretty certain that the septic system will have to be replaced before selling the house. It will need an engineered system with a raised leach field and a pump. I suppose I could leave it and knock $50,000 off the price, but I bet that would make half the potential buyers not even look.

The other major problem is the run down bathroom with the stupid jet tub that leaks. The room is oversized and there is a shower going into the tub, sort of like a walk-in with no curtain. So, aside from being an eyesore, redoing it would be nicer for me now.

The bathroom situation is that there is a toilet and sink on the first floor that I hired a guy to put nice tile and new toilet and sink. That is OK. The run down full bathroom is on the second floor. There is a small sink in a walk-in closet in the master bedroom but the drain leaks.

My friend, who is director of a local housing authority, suggested that instead of simply renovating the oversized bathroom I should consider reducing the size of the full bathroom and expanding the master bed closet area into a sink, toilet and shower,

I had the roof replaced in 2023, so that is OK.

The oil hot water heat boiler was installed in 1989 and is near the end of its life, although the tank is new in 2010. I have been told that the interior is starting to crack and to expect a problem in a couple years. I don't want to lose heat in the winter, so I plan to get a new boiler this year.

So here is my work list:

1) Get the new boiler this year.

2) Maybe do some wall and trim painting this year just to make the place look a little nicer.

3) Contact the septic company and make plans to redo the septic system either this year or next year.

4) Begin investigating options to redo the second floor bathroom.

5) Continue to investigate permit history and try to find receipts, both for cost basis and sale documentation.
 
Why not simply price it to sell as is and move on to a place that is more suitable to aging in place.

Might any adjoining neighbors be interested in it? What do you figure it is worth as is or fixed up? What do you figure fix up costs are?

From what you write it sounds to me like you will never get your money back and would be better off to sell it as a fixer upper.
 
pb4uski said:
Why not simply price it to sell as is and move on to a place that is more suitable to aging in place.

Might any adjoining neighbors be interested in it? What do you figure it is worth as is or fixed up? What do you figure fix up costs are?

From what you write it sounds to me like you will never get your money back and would be better off to sell it as a fixer upper.
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So if I am not ready to be moving, does that mean you would advise leaving things as is and kicking the can down the road?

If I bought a one story house, I would still have the snow removal and maintenance issues. If I move to a condo or some sort of community that handles things, I think that is giving up too much control at this stage, since I will just be turning 70 this year.
 
I guess it depends on how much longer you plan to stay. If you plan to leave in the near term for any additional investment of money in the property I would consider if it will make it easier to sell and if you will get your money back. Very few home improvements increase the value of the home more than they cost, so for me the more important criteria is whether the improvement improves my enjoyment of living there.

It really no different from an old car. There comes a time where repairs and maintenance get to the point where you are throwing good money after bad and are better off just trading up.

A condo only handles exterior maintenance, interior maintenance like hot water heaters and HVAC are on the homeowner.

Have other homes in your neighborhood situated like you with a high water table and questionable septic system sold recently? Did the sellers have to do anything particular?
 
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I agree that leaving things as-is and pricing lower is a better plan. Certainly less headaches dealing with contractors and inspectors. Many buyers want their design ideas and colors, so price the house to let them do repairs as needed or wanted to their preferred result.

Your comment about timing: if not ready to move then just fix leaks or problem areas and try to minimize expenditures. I do think your septic system may have troubles at any time if your water table is as high as you claim. Only way around that is as you mentioned with an above ground system and a pump. I have that at my house, as any new buildings in my county that are not on sewer are just being required to have the aerobic system.
 
Hmmm...do you know, or can you find out, if the water table has been rising and is likely to continue doing so? You might want to consider selling soon even if you otherwise might have kept this home longer, since that can eventually lead to flooding issues as well as septic-system failures.

Also note that there is no actual grandfathering for septic systems that endanger public health. The county inspector may do the wink, wink thing because he feels bad for you, but the law says if your effluent is at real risk of making people sick your house can and should be red-tagged until that situation is corrected.
 
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I think the water table is as it always has been. I have been here since 1987 and it is about the same.

There were new houses built about one half mile down the street on the other side. There were issues getting the lots approved. I now they ended up putting some sort of a big drain pipe near the road that their driveway runs over. I don't know about septic and am not sure if that land is the same as mine.

The house two over from me on my side sold in 2022. That house has had the raised septic installed a while before that. The woman who lived there was the town manager or something like that for our small 5000 person rural town.

The neighbors on each side have been in about 10 years longer than me. One recently showed me how he has hooked battery backup for his sump pump.
 
marko said:
FWIW, our old home was 120 years old. It was in excellent shape but at that age had a few quirks.

Our realtor set it up that any buyer inspection would be "for informational purposes only", essentially, "Take it or leave it, but we're not fixing anything or adjusting the price."

It sold way over asking to the very first open house visitor. It was in the middle of Covid so we accepted without any further questions.
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You probably won’t get by with that today.
 
If you think there is a very good chance you'd be moving in 5 years or less, leave it be. If you think you'll stay there longer, do what you want to enjoy your time there, with an eye towards resale.

Older homes have two buyers and price points.

a) ones that have been modernized and are move-in-ready
b) ones that need lots of work

buyers want one or the other, not something in the middle (generally).
 
silvor said:
You probably won’t get by with that today.
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It was only 5 years ago. The potential buyer could inspect all they wanted. If they didn't like the report, they didn't have to buy. There just wasn't going to be any negotiation based on what the inspection showed.

Obviously, you want to know what you're buying and if there's any major issues. Then it's a matter of how much you want the house. It's been a seller's market for over a decade now around here.
 
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Sounds to me like it's not worth the hassle for a patchwork of upgrades in order to sell. I'm in the sell as-is camp. But also, talk to a local realtor.
 
The septic would be a lender hard stop. Has it been inspected recently? If it works maybe it can be fixed up and kept in service. If it does need replacing and you sell as is, I'd bet you will take a bigger price cut for that than the cost to replace it. So, tough call.
 
I agree that the one complete show stopper is the septic system and that fixing ahead is the better choice.

The young guy two houses down in the other direction said that he is water table is two feet down and had to bring in a lot of fill to build his new house. He has a big property and his leach field is way back with his solar array and it has a pump to move the water.
 
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