Real Estate Right Now:
Fix It, List It, Profit

Should you sell your home as-is, or could making a few strategic improvements help you walk away with more money? In this episode of Real Estate Right Now, Steve Kruger, Senior Listing and Sales Expert with Linda Craft Team, REALTORS, explains how to evaluate the improvements that can make a real difference before putting your home on the market.

Steve walks through how the Linda Craft Team's Fix & Flip program works, including how homeowners can finance improvements and pay for them at closing. He also explains how he determines which projects are worth the investment, which improvements are unlikely to pay off, and how current market conditions can affect the potential return.

Explore Our Fix & Flip Program

This Episode's Highlights

The goal isn't to spend more. It's to make the improvements that can put more money in your pocket.

Paint, flooring and curb appeal can often make a bigger difference than expensive remodeling projects.

Before spending a dollar, get advice on what buyers in your market will actually value.

Not Every Improvement Is Worth the Investment

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that preparing a home for sale isn't about making it the most expensive or most updated house on the block. It's about understanding what improvements will actually help you compete.

Steve explains why paint and flooring can often provide a strong return, while expensive projects such as moving walls, expanding closets, or adding features may not make financial sense for every home. The right decision depends on the property, its price range, its condition, and what buyers are seeing in the current market.

Linda Craft Team's Fix & Flip program is designed to help sellers make those decisions before they spend their own money. Steve can evaluate the property, review comparable sales, recommend improvements, and help determine whether the potential return justifies the investment.

A Real Example From Cary

In the episode, Steve shares a recent Cary example where a homeowner invested approximately $60,000 in improvements, including refinished hardwood floors, new carpet, painted cabinets, quartz countertops, updated lighting, and a bathroom renovation.

After seeing the completed work, Steve performed a new market analysis and determined the home could be priced at $900,000. It sold for full price on the first day it hit the market.

The example illustrates the bigger point: the right improvements can change how buyers see a home, but the improvements need to be selected strategically rather than simply spending money to make a house look newer.

Could Your Home Benefit From a Fix & Flip?

You don't have to guess whether your home needs work before you sell.

Steve offers homeowners a no-cost consultation to walk through the property, discuss potential improvements, review the current value, and determine whether making changes could improve the outcome of the sale. If the numbers don't make sense, he'll tell you that too.