Should you renovate or sell as-is?

Worn carpet. Failing appliances. Damaged windows. Overgrown landscaping and years of deferred maintenance. After 25 years in his home without significant updates, one Seattle-area homeowner was looking at a property potentially worth around $1.3 million if sold as-is. He had plenty of equity, but didn’t have the cash needed to prepare the house for the market. That’s where Windermere agent Hao Dang of the Hao Dang Team stepped in. 

By helping his client see the potential ROI for pre-listing improvements, Hao convinced him to use pay-at-close financing to get his home ready for the market and list at a higher price point. And boy, did it pay off. The transformed home listed for $1.6 million and sold for $1.66 million within days, even with snow arriving during launch weekend. 

Hao walks through how he calculated the potential return, convinced the seller to invest, and built a repeatable listing-preparation process – and why even solo agents can do the same. 

Episode highlights

You'll learn how Hao:

• Decides between selling as-is and renovating before listing

• Helps equity rich, cash poor sellers finance pre-sale improvements

• Uses pre-listing inspections to uncover problems before buyers do

• Prioritizes renovations based on potential ROI

• Builds a repeatable process that maximizes a home's market potential

If your seller doesn’t have enough cash on hand to prep their home for the market, this conversation shows why limited cash doesn't have to mean leaving your home's potential value on the table.