Following on from the previous blog, here are a few tips that you need to keep in mind if you want to apply a new coat of paint to the exterior of your home. This is especially important before putting it up for sale on the market. The first thing is to decide whom you want to carry out the task of painting.
You can decide to do the arduous task by yourself, or get in touch with a licensed local contractor to get the work done for you. It can be a difficult choice deciding on the right option, to do-it-yourself means time away from social events, and hiring contractors can put a dent in your savings!
It is a big undertaking and it’s essential that the job appear professional no matter who ends up carrying out the task. The Paint Quality Institute recommends that you take the time to get estimates from many different contractors before hiring a contractor.
Remember, if you decide to paint the exterior on your own, it can take a few weeks. This is dependent on the size of the house. Those few weeks can translate into painting on your vacation or could be weekend work and after work time to get the job done right.
Some other important factors:
If you are afraid of heights and going up ladders, it is better to hire a contractor.
If you do not have the time or patience to prepare the surface area for paint properly, it might be better to find a professional. Remember a quality-finished work is the result of time and effort at the preparation stage.
Before painting, take a look around the exterior of the home.
If you notice cracks on the exterior walls, or wood rot it is important to get those evaluated and fixed before continuing with the paint. A pre-listing inspection lets you know if something major needs fixed on your home, other than updating the outside paint.
For a clear and accurate evaluation of your property then hire the services of a professional home inspection company, their completed report highlights any areas of concern that you can be sorted before putting your home on the market.
The process of buying a home can be very complex to say the least. You have probably set your eyes on and visited countless properties in order to find the one that you want to call home. Once you have found that “home” it will be time to submit a strong purchase offer in the hope of it being accepted
In order for the purchase agreement conditions to be met, a few steps need to be taken. Probably the most important step is actually getting the appraisal done. Based on the appraisal that the lender will give out the loan against value of the property, banks rarely loan out over the amount of the appraisal.
The lender almost every time will hire their own professional appraiser. The appraiser will evaluate and assess the property using a wide range of criteria before giving an estimated value of the home or property. The completed results of the appraisal are very important when it comes to getting approved for a home loan.
What most people tend to get mixed up with is that there is a difference between a home appraisal, and a home inspection. An appraisal is the value of the property and that value can be used to leverage a loan.
A home inspection, on the other hand, is the hiring of a professional and licensed inspector to assess the condition of the property. Home inspections include an evaluation of aspects such as, the roofing condition, foundation structure, internal and external cracks, crawl spaces etc. and the working components within the home.
You have two valuable services at your disposal that benefits you in making the correct financial decision regarding your future home. The first being a home appraisal and the second involving hiring professional home inspection services.
When you are looking at putting your home or property on the market, it’s in your best interests to make sure that your home is in a suitable condition to be sold. You want your home and its surrounding area to appeal to homebuyers coming around to look at it. Make them fall in love with the property, so that you get several generous offers.
Before you put your home on the market, there are a few tasks you can carry out that helps make your home stand out from the rest. It’s worth it to increase the chances of it being sold.
Do you remember the last time that you painted the exterior of your home? Chances are that it could use a new coat of paint in order to freshen it up again. By applying a new coat of paint, you will be able to paint over any cracks or chippings that have happened due to exposure to the weather elements. The new coat will give the house an updated look and make it stand out, as well as, more appealing.
Another good tip is to make sure that your gutters and down pipes is clear of leaves and other gathering debris. The last thing you want is for water stains to be visible around your gutters and the overflow flooding the area below.
Ensure that all gutters are clean and water flow has no restriction of dispersing. It’sgood practice to have the gutters cleaned out at least once every few months in order to keep them in working order.
Make sure that you also clean the inside of your home. Pay attention to cleaning windows and dusting blinds where possible. If your home has surrounding gardens, it would be a good idea to tidy it up, making them look well-kept and maintained.
For a correct and proper evaluation of your home, it’s a good idea to consider hiring a home inspection company. As listed above, there are a few things that you, as the homeowner, can do to improve the chances of a home sale.
For some homeowners the thought of taking on repairs and meeting the costs of those repairs just makes them put it off even longer. Homeowners need to know that some of the repair problems found in their home need to be fixed immediately. If these items, i.e. roof and foundation, are left in poor condition, you could be looking at a ticking time bomb that could go off at any given moment.
Here are two of the most common home repair issues that have been found to be ticking time bombs if left in there neglected states.
Tick, Tick, Tick, and Boom there goes your Foundation!
Any good builder or construction company knows that houses need time to settle once built. All homes that are built are different in terms of the time it takes the foundation to settle and how that foundation holds up to the weight that is being put on it. Small settlement cracks are normal and in most cases can be repointed with no further required action. However, larger cracks that are causing clear structural damage could be pointing to serious foundation problems. The key is noticing the cracks and having them assessed early in order to keep repair costs in the $1000’s, rather than in the $20,000 range.
Tick, Tick, Tick, and Boom there goes your Roof!
The thing about a home’s roof is that you might not know there is any damage until you see water coming through the ceiling, and by that time it’s usually too late, the damage is already done. It’s good practice to check the roof, but only if it is safe to do so! You want to be looking out for any water pools that are gathering and not draining properly. It’s also good practice to check the attic, search for water stains, any damp patches and damage to insulation.
The homeowner can check the above issues but it would be a good decision to hire a professional home inspector or professional home inspection services that have experience in finding and highlighting these issues at the right time. Catching foundation and roof problems at the right time helps prevent them from exploding into a financial disaster that you simply can’t afford.
When a person wants to purchase a home, they get distracted by everything included in the home buying process . They can often overlook or miss the actual condition of the home and issues that it may have due to their attention being diverted to one or more aspects that are involved in the home buying process.
The one thing a buyer needs to make sure of is to hire the services of a professional inspection company. A home inspection service is the best way for the buyer to find out the true condition of the home they want to buy. A completed inspection report will have any issues highlighted so that they can be presented to the seller to either fix or possibly renegotiate the original asking price.
A completed home evaluation report is not a tool for renegotiating! A home inspection is a professional evaluation of the state and condition of that home and the functioning components within it. The completed inspection report is to give you a clear picture of the true and current condition of the property and what repairs are in need of most attention if any.
When selecting a home assessment company, look for the most professional of inspectors providing the quality services. You need to be sure that the inspector hired can offer you an unbiased evaluation. Where the list of problems are not minimized, but described in detail and proper advice is given on how to sort them out.
You have to remember that every problem has a solution. So, whatever the inspector includes and highlights in his/her report can be sorted and corrected. Your professional inspector should be giving helpful information, which can assist you to make an informed decision on whether or not to push through with the sale, or move along to search out a brand new property.
If you have set your sights on a particular house, then there are a few things you can do and look out for before hiring an inspector to look over the property with a magnifying glass. The things that you can look out for include,
The Foundation: Checking out the ceilings, the base of walls in each room, and keeping your eye out for obvious cracks could point to movement and shifting in the foundation. On the outside of your home check out for trees that are close to walls that could pose threats by encroaching growing roots.
Suitable Drainage: Ensure that the drainage is away from the home or property and keep your eye out for any areas that are soggy and gathering puddles of soiled waste.
Roof Condition: What is the current state of the roof? Get details of when it was last replaced, repaired, and how those repairs are holding up.
Outside Exterior: What’s the current outside condition of the home is it likely to need repainting anytime soon? What’s the condition of the gutters and down pipes are they securely fitted. Or, do they need replacing and new fixtures added?
Roof Space and Attic: Check the condition inside the attic. Is it outdated and rotting? Are there signs of leaks and water damage? Is it insulated properly?
Do you have a basement? Checking your basement for signs of dampness and making sure that there is correct insulation fitted is good practice. Ideally, any type of crawl space should be left for inspection by a licensed home inspection company.
Electrical System: Do all the switches function or are there obvious power shortages? Is the control panel up-to-date with current state safety standards? Do not be mess about with the electrical control panel always make sure that you observe first, and then call in a specialist to check if it is functioning.
The above is only a small list of what you can independently check before calling the professional inspectors. By checking these items, you will be able to have the questions ready that you need professionally answered.
