Guide · November 9, 2026
Fix up an old house first, or sell it as is? How to decide
Some repairs pay for themselves and some cost more than they add. Sort them, get written bids, follow each state's permit and contractor rules, and compare the two paths in dollars.
Key points
- A repair pays you back only when it raises the price by more than it costs, including the months it takes.
- Sort repairs into three groups: what stops a sale, what buyers notice, and what is only taste.
- In Florida, a contractor who takes more than 10 percent upfront must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days after they are issued.
- Owners who do their own work under Florida's and Arizona's owner-builder rules face limits when they sell within a year.
- Check every contractor's license before you pay anything.
- Selling as is moves every repair to the buyer. A cash offer is below full market value, and the repairs come off the price.
The question to ask about every repair
A repair before a sale makes sense when it adds more to the price than it costs. The cost includes the contractor's bill, the permit, your time, and the mortgage, tax, insurance and utilities for every month the work takes. For example, a repair that adds $10,000 to the price but costs $8,000 and two extra months of bills may leave you with less.
This guide helps you sort repairs, get real numbers, and compare a repaired sale with an as-is sale in Florida and Arizona. It gives no legal or financial advice. Write your own numbers next to each step as you read.
Sort the repairs into three groups
Walk through the house with a notepad, or pay for a pre-sale inspection, and list everything that needs work. Then sort each item.
| Group | Examples | Usual choice |
|---|---|---|
| Stops a sale with a bank loan | A roof an insurer will not cover, no working heat or air, unsafe wiring, active leaks | Fix it, or sell to a buyer who needs no loan |
| Buyers notice and price in | Stained ceilings, broken windows, rotten trim, a dead water heater | Fix it if the bids are low, or price it in |
| Taste | Old kitchen, old bathrooms, paint colors, carpet | Leave it, and let the buyer choose |
Repairs that stop a buyer's loan
The first group matters most if you plan to list. A buyer who pays with a mortgage needs the house insured, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says lenders generally require proof of homeowners insurance. An insurer that will not cover an old roof or open damage can stop the loan.
In Florida, section 627.7011(5) says an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a policy solely because of roof age when the roof is under 15 years old, and must allow an inspection before it requires a new roof on an older one. The old roof guide explains the rule.
Selling a house with an old roof →
Getting real numbers
Base the numbers on written bids. Get at least two written bids for each large repair, with the scope of work, the materials, the permit and the start and finish dates. Ask each contractor what could raise the price once walls or floors are opened. Keep the bids in one folder, so you can compare the same scope of work side by side.
Then estimate what the repair adds to the price. Look at recent sales of similar houses nearby, some repaired and some not, and compare their prices. An agent or an appraiser can help you read them.
- Two written bids for each large repair
- The permit cost and how long the permit takes
- The number of months until the house is ready
- Your monthly mortgage, tax, insurance and utilities
- Recent sales of similar houses, repaired and not
Contractors: licenses and deposits
Check every contractor's license before you pay. In Florida, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation has a license search on its website. In Arizona, check with the Registrar of Contractors.
Florida Statutes section 489.126 adds a rule on deposits. When a contractor receives more than 10 percent of the contract price as the first payment on residential work, it must apply for the needed permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits are issued, unless it has just cause or you agreed in writing to a longer time. Keep every payment in writing, and pay by a method you can trace.
Doing the work yourself
Both states let owners do some work on their own homes without a contractor's license, with limits that matter when you sell. Florida Statutes section 489.103(7) covers owners acting as their own contractor on a building for their own use. The owner must personally appear, sign the permit application and complete a disclosure statement. Selling or leasing within 1 year after the work is finished creates a presumption that the work was done for sale or lease.
Arizona Revised Statutes section 32-1121 has a similar rule. The owner's work must be for a building meant for occupancy only by the owner, and proof of a sale, rental or offer within 1 year after completion is prima facie evidence that it was done for sale or rent. If you plan to sell soon, hire licensed contractors and pull permits.
Permits matter at sale time
Work done without a permit can come up when a buyer's lender orders an appraisal or a buyer pulls the permit history. It can also lead to a code case. Pull the permit for any repair that needs one, and close it with a final inspection before you list. Ask the building office how long a permit and a final inspection take where your house is, and add that time to your plan.
Work done without a permit, or an open permit →
Small fixes that cost little
Some work costs little and helps any sale, repaired or as is. These are jobs a handy owner or a handyman can do in a weekend, with no permit. They make the house easier to see clearly, and they show buyers the house was looked after.
- Replace burned-out bulbs and broken switch plates
- Fix a dripping tap or a running toilet
- Clean the gutters and the air conditioning filter
- Mow, trim and haul away yard waste
- Clear out clutter, so rooms look their real size
A middle path
You do not have to choose all or nothing. You can fix only what stops a buyer's loan, such as the roof or a leak, and list the house with everything else as it is. Or you can get a cash offer first, then get repair bids, and see which path leaves you more.
Whichever path you pick, tell the buyer what was repaired and what was not. Give copies of permits and invoices. In Florida, the Supreme Court held in Johnson v. Davis (1985) that a seller must disclose known facts that materially affect the value of a home and that the buyer cannot easily see.
Selling as is: what to tell the buyer →
The math: repaired sale vs as-is sale
Put the two paths side by side. For the repaired sale, start from the higher price, then take off the repair cost, the months of bills during the work and the listing, the commission and the closing costs. For the as-is sale, start from the cash offer and take off what you pay at closing. The path that leaves you more money, on a date that works for you, is the better one.
The net proceeds calculator on this site does this arithmetic with your own numbers.
| Line | Repair and list | Sell as is for cash |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Higher, after the work | Below full market value |
| Repair cost | You pay it | None |
| Months of bills | During the work and the listing | Until the closing date you pick |
| Commission and closing costs | Set by the listing agreement and the contract | With BIMINIO, we pay the closing costs |
| Risk | Bids run over; the buyer's loan can fall through | The price in the written offer is the price at closing |
Selling a fixer-upper to BIMINIO
BIMINIO buys houses that need work in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Lakeland, Phoenix and Glendale, as is. You make no repairs and no clean-up. The repair budget behind the offer comes from a scope of the work led by a trained architect, and a person checks every number before you see it. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours, with the comparable sales we used. You pick a closing date from 7 to 35 days out, and we pay the closing costs. A cash offer is below full market value.
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.