Should You Try Out These 3 Dave Ramsey Tips for Reducing the Costs of Your Home Sale?

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Dave Ramsey recommends trying to handle some repairs and upgrades yourself. Here’s what you should keep in mind. 

Selling a house can be really expensive. You need to pay for the real estate agent’s commission, any repairs the house needs, closing costs, and a whole host of other expenses associated with closing the transaction. And, of course, once all that’s done, you’ll need to pay off any remaining balance that’s due on your mortgage loan.

You hopefully want to be able to do all that and end up with at least some money to put in your bank account or to put down on the purchase of a new home. That’s why it can be helpful to cut costs when possible. Finance expert Dave Ramsey has some suggestions for doing that, including these three tips for reducing your expenses as a home seller.

1. DIY some repairs

Ramsey’s first suggestion is “tackling home projects yourself — DIY-style.” He suggests you can make selling your home cheaper if you landscape, upgrade the carpentry, or repaint, all without hiring a professional.

This advice can make sense, depending on the circumstances. If you’re skilled at home improvements and your house is the most dated one in the neighborhood, DIYing some updates can pay off.

But, the reality is, most improvement projects don’t provide a very good return on investment — especially if they aren’t done up to a professional standard because you’re trying out a DIY project for the first time. You may be better off not sinking the money into making these changes and just pricing your house a little lower.

2. Reduce moving costs

Ramsey’s next suggestion is to reduce moving expenses, which he says you can do by decluttering, collecting free packing boxes from stores, and asking friends to help you out.

His advice to declutter here is great, since the less stuff you have, the less you must move. Plus, if you declutter your house, it may show better so you may sell it faster. And if your friends don’t mind, taking advantage of free moving help is definitely a money-saver.

Asking for boxes isn’t always effective, though. I tried this with a past move and most of the boxes I got were so small that it would have been a huge hassle to move so many tiny boxes.

3. Negotiate with your company if you’re moving for work

Finally, Ramsey advises getting your employer to help you pay for a move if you are relocating for a job. This is also an easy call. If you can negotiate with your company and get it to cover costs for you, you absolutely should. Why pay for a move if someone else will foot the bill?

Of course, this isn’t possible in all situations, but if you have the chance to ask for money to defray your moving expenses, then do that ASAP.

Ultimately, you’ll need to decide which of these tips make sense for you. Remember, though, a home sale comes with a lot of costs. It’s best to be prepared to pay them out of your savings if you won’t generate enough profit to cover them after repaying your home loan and making a down payment on your new place.

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