With the spring home buying season rapidly approaching and the real estate market rebounding, here are a 12 things you can do to ensure that your prospective buyer – and the home inspector – find your listed home ready for a smooth inspection and easier negotiations.
Prospective buyers are paying for a certified home inspector to look over the house for any structural or safety issues…however, some pre-emptive steps for the home seller could help avoid any unnceccesary and costly redundancies and hiccups during the transaction.
Here are some small steps to help:
1. Clean your gutters out.?This is a commonly overlooked detail that just ends up being a hassle later on. Don’t get docked for such a simple yard work chore.
2. If your furnace is over 15 years old, spend the $100 it typically costs to have it serviced and cleaned.?Then make a copy and put it in a ziplock bag and tape it to the furnace. ?This provides the home inspector with documentation that the furnace has been serviced.
3. Check for positive drainage of the landscape?around the house.?You don’t want to flood the basement, so get some dirt and toss it into the wheelbarrow and level out the slopes.
4. Reinstall any handrails.?Many people remove the handrails along their stairs, but when you move out you want to put them back. The home inspector will insist on it.
5. If it’s safe, check out the condition of your roof.?You want things looking normal, or, otherwise you’ll have to get some maintainance help.
6. Check the auto reverse on the garage door opener.?Make sure there’s a safety release.
7. Sounds funny, but check that all toilets are flushed properly.?You’d be surprised how many people forget about flushing the toilet in the other bathroom, or, guest room.
8. Check your sink and bathtub drains.?You need a functional drain, not a slow drain. The home inspector will fill up your tub and watch for what happens. Get any hair out and add Drano when necessary.
9. Take care of any leaks?if you can.?Check under your sinks and vanities for leakage and tighten what you can on your own.
10. Check your windows.?Open and close each hung window — especially the ones that go up and down so as to make sure the springs are in place and the windows won’t slam down.
11. Fix up any deteriorated paint jobs
12. Test out the dishwasher and washing machine along with any other appliances that will be staying behind.?You want everything functioning properly, so there are no surprises.
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