Renovations to Avoid Before Selling in Quebec: Work That Costs More Than It Returns

When preparing a sale, it is tempting to redo the kitchen or bathroom to get a better price. We have already looked at renovations that can pay off before a sale. This article takes the other side: work that, right before listing, risks costing more than it brings in, or complicating the transaction.

Renovating to your taste, not the buyer's

A kitchen redone with very personal choices, bold colours, high-end materials in an area where buyers don't pay for them: buyers see first what they will have to change. A recent but polarizing renovation can even shrink the pool of interested buyers.

If you renovate to sell, the likely buyer in your area sets the finish level, not you.

The project started and never finished

A half-finished basement, a gutted bathroom, flooring that stops mid-room: an unfinished project scares buyers because they don't know what is behind it or what it will cost to finish. They assume the worst and take it off the price.

If you are not sure you can finish before listing, better not to start, or to return the space to a clean, functional state.

Work done without permits

Work done without the required permits can resurface at sale time: questions from the buyer's broker, the notary, the lender, and answers to give in the seller's declaration. Our article on selling a house with unpermitted renovations covers the risks. Starting such work right before selling adds a problem instead of solving one.

Going above the neighbourhood

A property's value stays anchored in comparable sales in its area. Turning the most modest house on the street into the most luxurious will not make it sell at another neighbourhood's prices. Beyond a certain level, every dollar spent adds to cost without adding to price.

Before any major project, ask your broker which recent comparable sales, renovated and not, exist in your area, and what price gap actually separates them.

Major hidden work buyers don't see

Replacing a drain, a roof or an electrical system may be necessary, but buyers barely see it during a visit. Such work doesn't push the price above what buyers expect from a house in good condition; it mostly keeps them from lowering it. If it's done, keep every invoice and warranty: that is what counts at sale time.

What to do instead

• Fix what is broken: a handle, a leaking tap, a window that won't close properly, damaged trim.
• Clean and declutter: the cheapest and most visible improvement.
• Paint in neutral colours the rooms with the strongest personal touch.
• Get a pre-listing inspection to know in advance what an inspector will flag, and decide whether to repair or disclose.
• Document: invoices, warranties and permits for work already done.