What repairs add the most value before selling?

Usually the inexpensive, visible ones: paint, flooring, light fixtures, landscaping and a deep clean. They change how buyers feel about a house for relatively little money. Big systems like roofs and HVAC are needed to get a sale done, but they rarely return more than they cost.

Can I sell a house that won't pass an FHA or VA inspection?

Yes, but not to a buyer using that loan unless the repairs are made first. FHA and VA appraisals require the home to meet minimum property standards — a sound roof, working systems, safe electrical. A cash buyer or a conventional buyer willing to take it as-is can still buy it.

Is selling as-is the same as selling to an investor?

Not necessarily. You can list a house as-is with an agent and let any buyer make an offer. Selling to a cash buyer is the version where repairs, showings and financing are all off the table.

Should I Fix Up My House or Sell It As-Is? A Chattanooga Owner's Guide

By Mike Burge, licensed real estate broker (TN & GA)October 21, 2026

Fix up your house before selling only when the repairs will add more to your sale price than they cost you — after counting your time, your carrying costs and the risk of the project running long. Cosmetic work often clears that bar. Big-ticket repairs like roofs, foundations and HVAC usually do not, because buyers expect those things to work and do not pay a premium for them.

Here is how to think it through for your own house.

The three kinds of repairs

Not all repairs are equal. It helps to sort what your house needs into three buckets:

Must-fix-to-sell repairs. Things that stop a financed buyer’s loan: a roof at the end of its life, an HVAC system that doesn’t work, unsafe wiring, active leaks, a failed septic system, structural movement. A lender’s appraiser will flag these, and the sale stalls until they are fixed.
Value-adding updates. Paint, flooring, lighting, fixtures, landscaping and a deep clean. These change how buyers feel about the house, and they are where a dollar spent most often comes back as more than a dollar.
Full renovations. New kitchens and bathrooms, layout changes, additions. These can add value, but they are expensive, slow, and easy to over-improve for the neighborhood.

If your house mostly needs bucket 2, fixing it up and listing it is often the better money. If it needs a lot of bucket 1 — or you simply cannot fund or manage the work — selling as-is usually is.

What a repair really costs you

The contractor’s quote is only part of it. Before deciding, add up:

The repair itself, plus a cushion. Older houses around Chattanooga routinely reveal more once walls, floors or roofs are opened.
Carrying costs while the work happens: mortgage, property taxes, insurance (often higher on a vacant house), utilities and lawn care. On many houses that is several hundred to a couple thousand dollars a month.
Your time: getting bids, meeting contractors, permits, inspections, and fixing what didn’t get done right.
Selling costs afterward: commission, closing costs and any concessions a buyer asks for after their inspection.
Market risk: prices and interest rates can move while your project runs.

A simple way to compare

Get two numbers and compare what you would actually walk away with:

	Fix up and list	Sell as-is for cash
Sale price	Higher	Lower
Repairs	You pay	None
Carrying costs during repairs and listing	You pay	Minimal
Commission and seller costs	Typically yes	Typically no commission
Time to cash	Months	Typically 7–30 days
Risk of the deal falling through	Buyer financing and inspection	Low

The question is not “which price is higher” — the listed price always is. It is “which leaves more money in my pocket, on the timeline I need, with the amount of work I’m willing to do?”

When fixing up usually makes sense

The house is structurally sound and the systems work.
It mostly needs cosmetic work you can fund and manage.
You are not in a hurry and can carry the house for a few months.
Similar updated houses nearby sell quickly.

When selling as-is usually makes sense

The house needs major systems, structural work, or significant damage repair.
You don’t have the cash or credit to fund repairs.
You live out of town, or managing contractors isn’t realistic.
The house is inherited, vacant, full of belongings, or tenant-occupied.
You need to be done by a certain date — a move, a foreclosure sale date, or an estate deadline.

The in-between option

Some houses fall in the middle: they need real work, but the finished house would sell for meaningfully more. For those, we offer Fix & List: we partner with you, pay for and manage the updates, and the house is listed on the open market. You get a higher price than a straight cash sale without putting money in up front. It takes longer than a cash sale, so it fits owners who can wait a few months.

Get both numbers

When we look at a house, we show you our as-is cash offer and a realistic estimate of what it would sell for fixed up, with the repair costs between the two. If listing would clearly net you more, we will tell you. See how we calculate our offer, or get your as-is offer.