Home Inspector Tips

We reached out to CEO and owner of Diligent, Michael Conrad, to get his thoughts on effective ways that home sellers can save time and money when it comes time for the Buyer’s home inspection.  Check out his thoughts below:

Home sales are smoother when the seller is proactive, rather than reactive, especially when it comes time for the home inspection.  In today’s real estate world, it’s always best to be proactive in the process. Sellers that don’t put some level of preparation into selling their home, risk possibly not getting their contract price, and may have surprises that detour the transaction from running smoothly or even possibly closing.

Here’s a few simple things to remember for that upcoming sale as well as maximizing your time and effort and that potential profit from the sale.

Let your trusted Realtor know that you are considering selling your home, even if it’s far in advance.

More often than not, your realtor will help you plan ahead so that all the preparation details can be scheduled out appropriately.  There are a number of things, from cleaning, to staging, to maintenance, that may need to be planned out months in advance, and having someone help you put pen to paper is a great way to use your professional resources.  

Curb appeal may sell the home, but clutter can kill the deal.

As we collect more stuff over the years, our closets, attics, basements, and hard to reach areas tend to get a little full.  But when it comes time to sell, no place is off limits to potential buyers. Those hard to reach areas can not only be cluttered, but they may harbor problems that you don’t get to see in your normal day-to-day.  Best to make sure you plan to clean out the out-of-the-way areas ahead of the sale.

Big repairs can translate to big hurdles for potential buyers.

Most buyer’s have a limit as to how many repairs they are willing to do or pay for on a home they are purchasing. Typically, buyers want to buy a home that is relatively maintenance free, at least for the first few years.  Knowing this, sellers who find and repair those potential big ticket items, will have an easier time during their transaction. Big repairs can include roof repair and replacement, HVAC upgrades or replacement, crawl space work, etc.  If you haven’t done a lot of maintenance on your home in recent history, you may want to take a closer look at those items and make sure they are in great shape for the potential home buyer.

Get a Pre-Listing inspection!

One of the best ways to learn about about the condition of your home and give you peace of mind is to take a preventative approach by getting a pre-listing inspection.  When both the buyer and the seller are surprised to find problems in the home, it can be disappointing and frustrating for both parties. When sellers take the time to learn about their home beforehand, and fix most of the big repairs, they put themselves in a stronger position.  Information is power. When you invest in this type of information, in my experience, you are paid dividends along the way.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we would be glad to help you in your journey.

Thank you,

Michael