Tips to get your home ready to sell

Here are some great tips to get your home ready to sell beyond just cleaning up:

Have the seller have the HVAC system serviced

Have the documentation ready for the buyer to see when they come to do the home inspection. Let your buyer know that you are aware of the potential age/weakness of the system (should that be the case) in advance. Change the filter! Clean the vent covers. Let your buyer know that the system may be aged, but it is in good repair. This may save you from having to purchase a new HVAC system.

Think about having a home inspection done in advance

Always check to see if they are state licensed and a member of a national inspection organization such as ASHI or NAHI. Then attack some of the issues that the inspector brings up. If repairs on an inspection report total $2,000, your new buyer(s) might ask for more than that to compensate for such shortcomings. Repairs completed prior to the home inspection are often less expensive and can be completed without time constraints.

Have the roof checked out by a local roofer

Have any defects repaired prior to the inspection. One of the last items a buyer wants to see on an inspection report is “Roof in need of repair”.

When filling out the “Sellers Disclosure”… disclose away

Buyers are generally more inclined to accept shortcomings when they are making an offer on a home, than when they are discovering shortcomings during a home inspection (which occurs about the same time as buyer’s remorse sets in!)

Get rid of the old paint cans

Your new buyer is not going to want them. Write down the brand name and specific paint colors and hand it over to the buyers. Most paint needs to be disposed of properly. You may not just throw them in the trash. And your buyer is not going to want to clean up your old mess.

Prepare a nice info list about your home

Detail when work was done, when trash day is, where the local recycling center is, etc. Make your home “user-friendly” via documentation. Also, providing numbers of local contractors you have used is a good idea. Buyer’s want to be comfortable with the operation and the “nuts and bolts” of the home. Good preparation on the part of a home seller can put a buyers mind at ease, making for a smoother transaction, and a more comfortable buyer. Any experienced seller knows that a comfortable, at ease, relaxed buyer is money in the bank!

Tips courtesy of Oak Tree Home Inspections