Ask Harry · Selling Your Home
What does Renovate & Sell involve?
Short answer
A prioritized list of high-impact updates, selected contractors, and a home that competes before it hits the market, with the costs settled at closing.
Full answer
It's a different path from a traditional sale, because you aren't investing cash upfront to make the pre-renovation changes, and it's a different path from selling as is, because you are investing in the outcome.
Not every home needs a full renovation, and most do not. Renovate and sell is for sellers whose home would sell for noticeably more with a handful of high-impact updates: a dated kitchen, a tired bathroom, worn paint, floor coverings that need updating or refinishing.
We build a prioritized list of only what pays you back, then bring in vetted contractors, and in a matter of weeks you go from needs work to ready. The work is funded through the sale, so you are not writing a check up front.
The question underneath everything is whether the numbers make sense: does the expected increase in sale price cover the cost of the work, with room to spare? We discuss that math before we touch a thing.
What it involves
The mechanics of the program
A prioritized plan
We identify the updates that move the needle: kitchen, baths, paint, flooring, and the details buyers notice.
Vetted contractors
The work is done by vetted contractors on a schedule so the home is ready on a clear timeline.
Funded at settlement
The cost of the work is settled at closing, so you do not pay for the renovation out of pocket up front.
Who it fits
The sellers it serves best
Renovate and sell fits sellers who want the stronger price of a polished home but do not want to manage contractors, timelines, and invoices themselves. It also fits sellers who have the equity to justify the work. If the home is already in strong shape, or if the market would not reward the updates, the honest answer is that the traditional path or an as-is sale is the better fit.
The key differences
How it differs from a traditional sale
In a traditional sale, you decide on the pre-sale renovations based on the cash you have at the moment. With renovate and sell, you decide on the scope of renovations based not only on the cash you have, but on the equity you have in the property. The math has to work, and we show you the math before we start.
In plain terms
The way I like to explain it
If you go back to the analogy of selling a car, the traditional sale and renovate and sell are both designed to put the house in good shape and help it to show well. The difference is whether you have to invest the money upfront for all of that or wait until you sell to pay.
Putting it to work
What this means when you're comparing options
Both a traditional sale and renovate-and-sell can involve targeted renovations. The real difference is how the work and the cost of the work are managed. In a traditional sale you decide on the pre-sale renovations based on the cash you have at the moment. With renovate-and-sell, you decide on the scope based on the cash you have and the equity in the property, the work is done by vetted contractors on a schedule, and the cost settles at closing. The math has to work either way: what the home is worth today, and what it could be worth ready.
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