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.
As the home seller, know that by hiring a home inspector to look over your property means you are giving yourself the time it needs to repair any major problems. Meaning that, time is not wasted on negotiations and you can hold firm on the price that you are looking for.
If you choose not to hire a home inspector to carry out a pre-listing inspection, then you have a real threat of the sale falling through. The buyer could ask you to lower your original asking price to allow them to get the repairs fixed on the findings that were included in the completed inspection report.
The main benefit of getting your own home inspection carried out is that you are in control of the whole selling and negotiating process. You will have the upper hand, as it gives you the opportunity to find, identify problems, and have those problems fixed, thus gaining the financial advantage. .
It is always better for you to have your own report, and not just take the buyer and the hired inspector’s word for it. A home inspection may not be the most talked about service, but it does give you a legal standing. That is if the buyer should try to take court action (sue) for any problems not disclosed in the contract regarding the home. By hiring your own professional home inspector, you will have your own detailed and completed assessment to challenge any buyer, or buyer’s inspector claims.
