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To maximize your return on your investment when selling your home you really must not overlook anything when cleaning and fixing up your property. Then, you must go one step further. You need to properly "stage the property" for a quick sale. Everyone knows the benefit of cleaning before you put your home on the market. But, when you think you have it clean enough, go through your home room-by-room as if you were a very critical buyer trying to find a reason to eliminate your home from the running as compared to all the other homes that are competing against your home. What you want to be looking for are: - are all the windows clean? - even in the middle of winter - is the paint inside and out really as fresh as your competition is offering? - does your home smell fresh? - Very important to all buyers. - any and all damage repaired. Chipped sinks, leaky faucets, cob webs in any light fixtures and in all high or low corners, burned out bulbs, damaged screens, cracked windows... Be sure to also check out this Home Seller´s Check List for further ideas. A Word to the Wise - How Home Inspectors Think When your home goes under contract, home inspectors hate to become responsible for the most expensive features of the home, so frequently they simply say the home needs to have a licensed roofing and/or furnace inspection and certification by a licensed contractor. This quickly transfers the liability for a defective roof or furnace to a third party (the licensed contractor). (Many inspectors will not even walk on a roof to inspect it. buyer´s inspector felt uncomfortable with the appearance or condition of the roof or the furnace. It then becomes the seller´s expense and obligation to have those items inspected, serviced, repaired and certified. The home that appears to be in the best condition ALWAYS sells for the most money in the shortest marketing time. You, just like other buyers, will always buy the home that is in superior condition first. I tell my clients to look for a home that "has been loved by it owner". These homes are in top condition and sell for the highest price. So, when you are selling, be sure your home appears like it has "been loved by its owner".
They do it from the gutter level on a ladder.) The problem becomes who is to pay for the additional inspections? Typically, the selling agent passes the obligation on to the seller by saying the
To help eliminate the possibility of this from happening to you when you are selling a home, you can simply have any missing or damaged roof shingles or tiles replaced before you market the home. This type of repair is considerably less expensive than having a roofing contractor out to walk the entire room with intentions of certifying the condition of your roof. The furnace is much easier to address. Simply wipe down the outside and inside of the furnace and duct work with a damp cloth before you begin showing the home. When the inspector sees the furnace, he assumes that it has been recently serviced since it is so much cleaner than 99% of all the other furnaces he has recently inspected. This sure will not fix a cracked heat exchanger nor repair a gas leak, but it goes a long way to getting the inspector thinking the furnace is being serviced and maintained regularly. Most inspectors will find a gas leak but most are not well trained to detect a cracked heat exchanger. (So, when you are buying a home, you really want to discuss the qualifications with inspectors you consider hiring. You might also ask if they actually walk on the roof when inspecting. I would not hire an inspector who refuses to walk the entire roof.)
If you would like additional ideas on ways to prepair your home for sale or if you are ready to put your home on the market now, simply call us at 303-880-4944 or e-mail us.
