Companion decision guide
What Should I Fix Before Listing My Denver-Area Home?
What does this mean for my decision?
Prioritize a property-specific plan and evidence for each project. The research quantifies a hypothetical gross-recovery hurdle; it cannot show that a particular repair or renovation will increase the sale price.
By Rick Janson, JD/MBA Realtor®
Published
Separate necessary work from presentation choices
Identify known defects, safety concerns, maintenance needs and cosmetic items. They can affect a transaction for different reasons and should not be treated as interchangeable renovation opportunities.
Discuss how each item may affect inspection, buyer perception, photographs, financing or use of the home. Start with what the property needs and what current competing homes show, rather than a generic spending percentage.
Ask what evidence supports each proposed project
Request the estimated cost, timing, expected benefit and alternatives. A small improvement that addresses a specific buyer objection can be a different decision from a large renovation requiring time and uncertainty.
The$10,000 scenarios are a way to make the financial hurdle visible. They are not local cost estimates and do not establish a return. Compare the proposal with listing in the present condition or completing a narrower scope.
Do not read a near-list sale as proof of renovation recovery
The local ratio uses the source’s closed and list-price measures. It does not show the spending on preparation or a matched unrenovated alternative. A near-list closing cannot isolate what caused the result.
Use recent comparable properties, current competition and the condition of your own home for the preparation conversation. Keep claims about a project’s likely benefit appropriately qualified.
Build the selling plan before committing to work
Share your intended timing, property concerns and available budget with Rick. Ask which items merit professional evaluation, which would strengthen presentation and which can be disclosed and handled through pricing or negotiation.
Coordinate the work with the marketing and moving plan. The report’s source-qualified calculations are available to review, and your consultation can focus on the property-level evidence that the aggregate research does not supply.
What evidence supports this guide?
The supporting report contains the source tables, calculation assumptions and limitations. NAR findings describe national surveyed groups; local figures cover September 2026 single-family residences in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. Illustrative rates and budgets are stated assumptions. Use the report to understand the tradeoff, then verify the inputs for the home and decision you are considering.
Sources: NAR: Dr. Jessica Lautz, Leaders in Luxury presentation, October 12, 2026; underlying research resources; NAR 2025 Profile release: July 2024–June 2025 primary-residence buyer transactions; REcolorado / InfoSparks: September 2026 monthly county single-family-residence snapshot; extracted October 12, 2026
Supporting research: What Would $10,000 of Sale Preparation Need to Recover in Greater Denver?
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