When you decide to sell your home, you not only need to be able to estimate its market value accurately, but also, be in-the-know about its true condition. The fact of the matter is, even if you’ve lived in a house for years, there might be unseen and unknown issues. This is just too much to risk when you consider the fact that said issues can easily be revealed at a very inopportune time and kill an otherwise viable transaction. To avoid an unpleasant surprise you should schedule a pre-listing inspection and know how to prepare for a home inspection.
How to Prepare for a Home Inspection
It’s a fact that home sellers make a number of mistakes that sabotage their own efforts and many are completely unintentional. You might base your asking price on similar homes for sale, but, the fact those homes have not yet sold makes them bad comparisons. Another mistaken strategy is to believe pricing your home just about market value will leave room for negotiation, when the fact of the matter is, buyers will just take a pass. They will be happy to check out other homes and not waste time with what they perceive as an unrealistic seller.
“You’ve prepared your house for sale, hired a listing agent and the marketing plan has succeeded so well that you have an offer on your home. All good news so far, but you still have a couple of challenges to face, including a home inspection. No matter how much you know about the place you’ve occupied for the past few years or decades, a home inspector may find issues that your buyers will want you to address. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll ace your inspection, you can take steps to make it less likely that a home inspection will put an end to your sales plan.” —Realtor.com
To make a property truly marketable, you must take several necessary steps. The most effective are decluttering, depersonalizing, and staging. However, these deal almost entirely with aesthetics and serious buyers will protect their own interests with sincere due diligence. To avoid getting caught off-guard, you should have a pre-listing inspection conducted by a licensed professional. Here’s what you need to know about how to prepare for a home inspection:
- Make all rooms and boxes accessible. Simply put, if it is inaccessible, the inspector will just move-on to the next line item. Every door and box should be readily accessible for the inspector to complete a thorough examination of your property.
- Don’t attempt to conceal known issues. If you are aware of any issues, you should tell the home inspector in advance and definitely avoid trying to conceal any problems. If you do this, the inspector will wonder what else you’re not disclosing and as a result, the report could be less than favorable.
- Keep the utilities on for the home inspector. Some sellers are able to move out of their residences and into a new home. To save money, utilities are turned off and that’s a big mistake because it will be a big impediment to the home inspector and it’s likely to cause a rescheduling.
- Remove any and all clutter from the property. Clutter is not only unsightly, but also, unsafe and it can present an unnecessary obstacle for the home inspector. The truth is, you probably don’t want someone else sifting through your possessions and it’s just as unlikely the inspector will relish the experience.
- Leave maintenance documentation out for the inspector. If repairs have been made in the home, you should make that documentation available to the inspector. These will help to speed-up the inspection and shows you are being completely transparent.
Your goal should be to make your property accessible in all areas so the inspector can conduct a professional examination. If you are considering selling your home and want professional marketing assistance to get top dollar for your property, just contact us.