Skip the Open House Repairs: How to Sell Your Edmonton Home As-Is
You look around the house and start making a mental list.
The flooring is dated. The basement needs work. There are a few walls you'd repaint if you had the time. The kitchen is fine, but it definitely isn't going to compete with all the shiny move-in ready homes in Edmonton you keep seeing online.
So now what?
A lot of homeowners assume they have two choices: spend thousands getting the house “ready” or forget about selling.
That's not necessarily true.
You can sell an Edmonton home as-is without completing every repair or renovation first. The bigger question is whether that's the right choice for your property and your situation.
I've seen homeowners spend money on improvements that don't add nearly as much value as they expected. That's why I'd rather look at the home before you start tearing things out.
Sometimes repairs are worth doing.
Sometimes I'd tell you to leave it alone.
What Does Selling a Home As-Is Actually Mean?
Selling as-is generally means you're putting the property on the market in its current condition rather than completing repairs, updates or renovations before the sale.
That could be a home with an older kitchen.
It could need flooring, paint or cosmetic updates.
Or it could be a property that needs considerably more work and isn't practical for the owner to renovate before selling.
What it doesn't mean is that known serious issues can simply be hidden from buyers. In Alberta, sellers and their real estate professionals still have obligations around known material latent defects. RECA describes these as significant defects that aren't discoverable through reasonable inspection and may make a property unsafe, unfit to live in or very expensive to remedy.
“As-is” is a selling strategy, not a way around disclosure.
Do I Really Need to Fix Everything Before Selling?
No.
And I wish more homeowners asked this question before they started spending money.
It's easy to look at a newer listing online and think:
Mine needs new flooring.
I should redo the counters.
Maybe we need to replace all the light fixtures.
Then suddenly you've created a $20,000 pre-listing project.
The problem is that a buyer may not value those improvements the same way you do.
I've seen sellers update something only for a buyer to walk through and immediately talk about changing it again.
Painful.
Before you renovate, I want to look at what you're working with, what similar homes are selling for and what buyers in that part of Edmonton actually have to choose from.
A few smaller improvements may make sense.
A major renovation may not.
When Does Selling As-Is Make Sense?
There isn't one type of seller who should choose this route.
Sometimes it's about the house. Other times it's about what's happening in someone's life.
For example, selling as-is may be worth considering when:
The home needs more work than you can comfortably afford.
You've inherited a property you don't want to renovate.
You need to move sooner rather than later.
You're going through a separation or another major life change.
Keeping the house spotless and available for constant showings isn't realistic.
You simply don't want to spend months managing renovations before you're allowed to move on.
A new baby at home is a good example.
Technically, you could spend weeks renovating, keep everything show-ready and leave the house whenever a showing is booked.
Would you want to?
Maybe not.
Convenience has value too.
Will I Get Less Money If I Sell My Edmonton Home As-Is?
Possibly.
That's the honest answer.
Buyers usually consider the condition of the property when deciding what they're willing to pay. If someone is comparing an as-is property with several renovated, move-in ready homes in Edmonton, they're likely going to factor the work required into their offer.
But that's only half of the equation.
You also need to look at what the repairs would cost you, how much value they're realistically likely to add and how much time and inconvenience is involved.
Let's say you spend $30,000 preparing the home.
That doesn't automatically mean you'll sell it for $30,000 more.
This is where I think sellers need real numbers rather than assumptions.
Sometimes making improvements creates enough additional market value to justify the cost.
Sometimes selling the property in its current condition is the better financial decision.
We have to look at the specific home.
Can an As-Is Home Still Be Listed on the Open Market?
Yes.
Selling as-is doesn't automatically mean avoiding a traditional real estate listing.
A property can still be marketed to Edmonton buyers in its current condition. The strategy just needs to reflect what we're selling.
That means pricing matters.
If the house needs updating but it's priced as though it's fully renovated, buyers are going to notice.
They're looking at the same listings we are.
They know what their money can buy.
An older home can absolutely appeal to someone who wants to renovate to their own taste, an investor, or a buyer who would rather pay less for the property and make changes later.
We just need to be realistic about how that home compares with the competition.
What If I Don't Want to Deal With Showings or Repairs?
This is where another selling option may be worth discussing.
Depending on the home and the situation, some Edmonton-area sellers may be able to explore a cash-offer option rather than going through a traditional listing process.
That can be particularly useful when the property needs considerable work or the homeowner doesn't want the inconvenience of getting the house ready and accommodating regular showings due to personal circumstances or maybe embarrassment for example..
I don't automatically recommend this route but it can be an option for some sellers. We can have a one-on-one conversation on what you are most comfortable with.
For some homes, listing on the open market is clearly the better choice.
For others, I'd at least want the homeowner to see what another option looks like before making the decision.
That's really the point.
Know what your choices are first.
Then decide.
Should I Renovate or Sell As-Is?
I usually start with three questions.
What is the home worth now?
We need a realistic idea of the property's value in its current condition.
What would the improvements actually cost?
Not the HGTV version. The real number, including materials, labour, delays and all the little things that tend to appear once work starts. Remember, once you start demo or opening things like walls up, you likely have costs and delays you were not anticipating.
What could those improvements reasonably add to the sale?
That's the number people sometimes skip.
Spending $10,000 to make a property easier to sell could make sense.
Spending $40,000 chasing an uncertain return might not.
And sometimes there's a middle ground.
Maybe we don't renovate the kitchen, but we deal with a few obvious repairs, clean things up and make the property present better.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
How Do You Price an As-Is Edmonton Home?
The same basic principle applies to any home I evaluate: look at the market the property is actually competing in.
I consider recent comparable sales, current listings, location, condition and what buyers are responding to.
But condition becomes especially important with an as-is property.
A renovated comparable gives us useful information, but we can't automatically assume your home is worth the same amount if a buyer needs to invest significantly after possession.
Likewise, I don't believe in automatically discounting a home just because the kitchen isn't new.
We need context.
That's why an online home estimate can be a useful starting point, but it shouldn't be the only number you rely on when deciding whether to renovate, sell as-is or list at a particular price.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. I'd actually rather see the property before you start making expensive changes. We can talk about what may help the sale and what I don't think is worth spending money on.
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Yes. Not every buyer is looking for a fully finished property. Some buyers prefer getting into the right neighbourhood or price range and completing improvements themselves.
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Selling as-is doesn't remove applicable disclosure obligations. Known material latent defects may need to be disclosed, so tell your REALTOR® what you know about the property and get appropriate professional or legal advice where needed.
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Sometimes it's worth considering, but not automatically. I would first look at the property, its likely market value and what selling traditionally could look like before comparing another option. Then I create a side by side comparison of selling traditionally on the open market or the cash offer option.
Before You Start Renovating, Let's Look at the House
If you're thinking about selling your Edmonton home and you're staring at a long list of repairs, don't assume you need to finish all of them before calling me.
Show me the house as it is.
We can look at what it may be worth now, what buyers are likely to notice and whether putting money into the property makes sense.
Maybe I'll recommend doing a few things before we list.
Maybe selling as-is makes more sense.
Or maybe there's another selling option you haven't considered yet.
Either way, I'd rather help you make that decision before you've spent the money.
Thinking about selling your Edmonton-area home as-is? Contact Jeneen Marchant to find out what your home could be worth and what your selling options may look like.
