Here is
another installment of Russ Ravary's home selling tips. When I work for a Southeastern Michigan home seller it is all about trying to get the sellers the most money possible. It boils down to not only the local metro Detroit real estate at the time, but also the condition, location, and external/internal issues. We can't control the home location nor can we control the external and internal issues. When I talk about internal issues I mean things like home layout, and big ticket items that nobody in their right mind would pay for because they won't get the money back. What I want to talk about in many of my home selling advice articles is how to prepare your home. We want to make the home look good and enticing to home buyers without costing you the seller a lot of money or investing a lot of time.
I always say you "have to think like a landlord".....
make the house look great without spending a lot of money. Today I want to talk about the outside of the house and in particular about decks. The key about decks is to make it safe and make it look like the buyer will not have to spend a lot of money. I have seen too many deals going sideways because the Michigan home inspector said the deck was unsafe or ready to fall down.
Let's talk about the basics.
- the floor of the deck
- the railings
- the supporting structure under the deck
First of all the deck does not have to be perfect or even look perfect. I know power washing and staining a deck takes a lot of time but sometimes it is worth doing. I say this because buyers look at a home and in their head they are adding up how much it is going to cost to do the repairs and what they have to do if they buy your home. Too many repairs and too much money in repairs will have buyers looking elsewhere. Home buyers take the path of least resistance.
Railing. Check the railings are they sturdy? If somebody leaned against them would they fall off your deck? Put more screws or nails into the railings to strengthen them. I believe that in many cases that you don't have to paint or stain the complete railing. Sometimes you can get by with doing the top and the main posts. Of course this is by a case by case basis. Staining the railings is what takes time. But your priority is to strengthen the railings while make it look good.
Floor of the deck. Replace any rotting boards. Then you can cover up the difference between the old and new boards by using a covering stain. What I mean by covering stain is a stain that is a little like brown or grey paint versus a see through stain that shows the wood grain. A covering stain does just that covers different colored boards and hides imperfections. (sometimes even covering small holes)
If you look at the picture above I would not replace that board if there were not alot of boards like that. What you care more about when selling your home is boards that have a lot of rot or boards that you could fall through the deck. Safety is important to buyers. They automatically think they have to replace the whole deck if the flooring is bad. You can keep them from thinking that way by replacing the real bad boards and covering them with a covering stain. The video below is a key example of old and new boards.
Deck support beams and underlying structure. This is very important. Now I never want you to cover up any dangerous problems. Sometimes the dirt or stone under the deck get washed away. Add more dirt, more stone, or more mulch around the posts. Make sure the structure is screwed or lag bolted together and to the house. Some deck builders cut corners and nailed stuff together years ago. Now days that is a big no no. Look for board that have come loose or are rotted. Replace them, or sister them, or secure them with screws.
Of course make sure the stairs to the deck are solid too.
Making your deck safe is important. By making it look good helps make the buyer think you have always maintained your home even though you just did the repairs. Less things to do for the buyer makes your home more move in ready. Makes one less thing the buyers worry about and helps them want to put in an offer on your home.
This is all about how to sell your house for more money & quicker. Home selling tips on what to do with your deck. I want you to get top dollar. See more of my home selling advice on this website.
