Selling Your Home — Pre-Sale Repair Checklist

🎨

Touch up interior paint

Scuffs, marks, and nail holes are easy fixes that make rooms feel fresher. Neutral colours (white, warm grey) appeal to the widest buyer pool.

🏠

Fix the front entrance

First impressions set the price. Repaint the front door, clean the path, add a new doormat, and ensure the doorbell works. $200-$500 well spent.

🌱

Clean up the garden

Mow, edge, mulch, and prune. Remove dead plants. A tidy garden suggests a well-maintained home. Budget $300-$800 for a professional garden clean-up.

💧

Fix every dripping tap and running toilet

Buyers turn on taps and flush toilets. A drip suggests neglected plumbing and gives them negotiating ammunition.

💡

Replace blown globes and broken switches

Every light should work. Replace yellowed or cracked switch plates ($5 each). It signals attention to detail.

🧹

Clean gutters and downpipes

Overflowing gutters suggest water damage to buyers. A $200-$350 gutter clean removes a major visual red flag.

🔧

Fix sticking doors and windows

Doors that don't close properly make buyers wonder what else doesn't work. Often a 10-minute fix with a plane or hinge adjustment.

🧱

Repair cracked grout and missing tiles

Especially in bathrooms and kitchens. Re-grouting a bathroom costs $200-$500 and makes it look years newer.

🏗️

Fix any fence damage

A leaning or broken fence is highly visible to buyers walking the perimeter. Repair or replace damaged sections before the first open home.

📋

Get compliance certificates ready

Smoke alarm compliance, pool fence compliance (if applicable), and any recent trade work certificates. Buyers' conveyancers will ask for these.