If you were selling your car you would give it a good clean inside and out as well as fixing a few minor faults in order to get the best possible price, so it makes a lot of sense to take the same approach when selling what is probably your biggest asset of all, your home.
If you are planning on selling your house it would be a good idea to walk around your property and make a list of the sort of jobs that you could tackle yourself, which is a better idea than waiting for someone else to find the sort of fixable faults that help drive the price down. 14-Day Free Trial on Home Real Estate Listing Service. Start Now at ForSaleByOwner.com!
Home Inspection Tips for Sellers
Here is a look at how to prepare your home ready for a home inspection, including some tips on how to be proactive when it comes to repairs, plus what to expect when an inspector calls, and why it often pays to come clean about any problems with the house.
Anticipating Problems
A typical scenario that can play out with a residential property deal is when a clause in the contract allows the buyer to back out of the deal or negotiate a lower price after they get the results of a home inspection carried out by a licensed professional.
If you don’t want the buyer to exercise that clause within about 7-10 days of the contract being ratified, you need to be a proactive seller and prepare your home before the home inspection is booked.
If you want the option of selling your home in its current condition and settled as is, there are options to get a cash offer when you visit WrenRealityInc.com and other sites like it, but if you want to try and maximize the amount you sell your home for, it often pays to anticipate any potential inspection problems and fix the issues beforehand.
Understanding the Home Inspection
The primary purpose of the home inspection is to take a detailed look and document the current condition of your home at that point in time.
The inspection will take a look at all of the major systems and components in your home and verify that they are in good working order.
The inspector will need to gain access to all parts of your property to carry out their inspection, so you should expect to see them attempting to access crawl spaces, attic openings, basement, and any other area where they need to check for any leaks or issues as well as gaining access to check the electric panel, water heater, and furnace.
If they are unable to access any of these areas for any reason, they will not be included in their report, but that is not a good thing as it can often raise further questions from the buyer.
Make sure all the key areas of your home are accessible and do your own visual inspection to see if you can spot any problem like leaks that need to be fixed straight away before an inspector comes calling.
On Your Checklist
If you are already aware of a few minor fixes that you have been putting off for a while it goes without saying that now is a good time to get those jobs done.
In addition to the extra items that you need to care of, there are some standard checks to carry out so that the interior of your property is ready to be inspected.
Make sure that the batteries are working in any carbon monoxide and smoke detectors around your home and test them to ensure everything is working before an inspector does the same thing.
Fix any leaky faucets or issues with sink drains if the water is not running away quickly enough. Also, aim to make sure that all grout and caulking areas in the kitchen are in a good state of repair.
Some of these fixes might not seem critical to passing a home inspection and are basically cosmetic issues that need resolving, but what you are aiming to do is create a good impression overall, which you might struggle to do when there a stack of small things that could lead to the conclusion that your home is a bit tired and might need further repairs.
Honesty Is the Best Policy
If there is a problem that needs fixing that you are aware of but haven’t yet fixed, it is always better to come clean and avoid hiding it from the buyer.
If you were prepared to try and cover up a defect it will lead them to think you might have more issues to hide and deter them from going ahead with the sale, so don’t be tempted to try and mask over any problems.
If you want your listing to be a success, think ahead and get those DIY tasks out of the way so that your home sails through the inspection process.
What about you? Did I miss any home inspection tips for sellers that you have used in the past?
Katherine Tucker shares her tips and tricks on real estate listing. Having worked as a realtor for many years she has a wealth of knowledge ready to share with an online audience.