Any repair-related expenditures incurred during the process of preparing one's home for sale. This type of expense does not include major home improvements such the addition of a new room or swimming pool. Fixing-up expenses are not deducted outright, but are subtracted from the sale proceeds.


The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 has rendered the rules surrounding fixing-up expenses less important than they were previously. Since homeowners can now exclude the first $250,000 of the gain from the sale of their homes, the reduction in sale price from these expenses is generally meaningless.