by Bill Gassett, Realtor; article courtesy of ASHI and LinkedIn
Prior to listing a house for sale it is very important to be aware of any potential problems or maintenance issues that may be noted by the prospective buyer. One of the things all home sellers should know is that the buyers home inspection is one of the biggest roadblocks to a successful sale. There are more real estate transactions that fall apart due to a home inspection than any other reason.
If you want your home sale to go smoothly it stands to reason that you should take care of any obvious issues that could prevent a home sale from happening. A good practice for sellers is to walk around their home like they don’t own it. Take off the emotional blinders and pretend you are a buyer looking at the home for the first time.
Is there any issues that jump out at you? If you were the one buying the home would you want these problems corrected? If the answer is yes then by all means take care of these things!
Working as a real estate agent representing home owners for the past thirty years, one of the first things I do during the interview process is look over the sellers property like a hawk. I carefully look for the things that could become red flags during a home inspection.
The last thing I want is to see my clients sale go up in flames because of something that could have easily been fixed beforehand. In fact, understanding how to get ready for the home inspection is something I’m always preaching to my clients. Sellers who are well prepared for an inspection stand a much greater chance of having a stress free transaction.
In the above referenced article you will see some of the more common issues that come up in home inspections.
Many of these issues are not a big deal. Some buyers, however, have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the condition of the home they are purchasing.
So many buyers today want turn-key properties. They don’t want to lift a finger. Quite a few will ask for the moon when it comes to inspection requests of the seller.
By taking care of most of the quirks with your home before it goes on the market, you make it more likely a buyer will stick around and not have a punch list a mile long they expect you to correct.
More importantly, by preparing for the buyers inspection you increase the odds the sale won’t fall apart due to some unexpected problem!
Take it from someone who knows, home inspections can be deal killers when properties are not properly maintained. If you know of some kind of problem point it out to the buyer before the inspection. Your real estate agent may even have you fill out a disclosure statement that a buyer can view before their inspection. Make sure you are as detailed as possible.
It is much harder for a buyer to ask you to make repairs on items you have already pointed out to them before the inspection takes place! With a professional property inspection from HomeTech you can address and repair any potential problems before a buyer takes note of it and be well informed in the real estate negotiation process.
