Should You Repipe Before Selling Your Jacksonville Home?
When it's time to put your home on the market, your listing agent might recommend a few cosmetic upgrades or additions that can improve the curb appeal, sellability, or even sales price of the property. You might even get a pre-listing inspection to catch and repair issues that might dissuade prospective buyers. Older pipes often make the list of to-dos, but should you repipe before selling? At Superior Plumbing, we provide comprehensive plumbing repair and improvement services, and we've created this quick guide to selling a home with old pipes so you have more information before you decide.
How Old Pipes Impact Home Sales
There are two main ways that older pipes can impact your home sale:
- More time on market. If prospective buyers are only looking for homes with updated or new pipes, they might pass by your home without making an offer. As a result, your home might have more days on market, which increases your holding costs (like utilities and mortgage, especially if you've already moved out) and can make your home look less appealing over time.
- A negotiated lower price. With older pipes, your home might get offers that are a little below the listed price because buyers are accounting for future repairs or repiping projects. You might also have buyers who initially offer a strong price but then negotiate during the inspection period because their inspector found signs of developing pipe damage.
But there are also complicating factors to consider. For example, if you live in an older neighborhood, your listing agent would have recommended a listing price based on comparable homes in your neighborhood (many of which will have pipes the same age as yours). Buyers who want to live in your neighborhood can reasonably expect older pipes, as long as they are still functional.
What Home Inspectors Look For
Home inspectors might not be able to see the age of the pipes in the walls, but there are several signs of aging pipes that they will look for and flag if they find them. These include:
- The condition of the pipes at visible turn-offs, near fixtures, and in the attic or crawlspace
- Low water pressure, which indicates internal buildup (or, worse, leaks)
- Older materials, like cast iron, that can fail and lead to thousands of dollars of damage
- Leaks, especially if the inspector has a thermal imaging camera that can detect out-of-sight moisture and leaks
Depending on their findings, it may make sense to replace certain sections of pipe, repipe the entire home, or be prepared to offer a seller's credit so the new owner has a cash cushion for their own repiping project.
Repiping ROI: Does It Pay Off?
Repiping before selling is a great investment in a home you want to put on the market, but not because it'll directly add thousands of dollars to the sales price. Instead, it makes your home much more sellable. Buyers (and their home inspectors) are likely to be leery about cast-iron pipes and pipes with suspected hard water buildup. This may mean they offer a lower price from the beginning, or they might negotiate repairs or price adjustments during the option/inspection period. Even worse, potential buyers might just walk away, leaving your home languishing on the market.
But if you repipe your home, it becomes more enticing, and buyers will likely feel more confident coming in at list price. You might not directly increase your home value by repiping, but you'll prevent a potential decrease and likely shorten the time it's on the market.
Contact Us at Superior Plumbing to Learn More About Our Repiping Services
Repiping your home before selling is a big undertaking, especially if it involves going into the walls. But it can be a strategic update that makes your home more functional, appealing, and safe, especially if there are existing plumbing problems. Superior Plumbing can help you make the decision with a professional inspection and transparent quotes for repiping in Jacksonville. Reach out today to learn more or to schedule an inspection so you can prepare your home.
Image credit:
// Shutterstock // TW Farlow Media