Is Your Home is Ready for Purchase
When preparing the home for sale it is important to determine what work should and what work should not be done prior to selling. Whether selling the home with a traditional agent or selling the home For Sale By Owner with a fee for service broker, often it is a wise decision to order a pre-sale inspection of the home to determine if there are any known defects requiring immediate attention. In the event there are no major defects, items that will negatively effect the first impression of the home need to be corrected, or repaired first. If the fence looks ragged or the entry porch is dilapidated, repair them. If paint is chipping or peeling on the siding, doors, or interior, touch them up. The correction of these minor items will help maximize your return from the sale. If the inspection reveals major defect like code violation, it may be more cost effective to disclose the problem to prospective buyers and ask a lower price, than to remove the defect and rebuild. If the decision is made to disclose the violation to the buyer rather than have the problem fixed, it is wise to have a licensed contractor provide an estimate of cost to fix so prospective buyers have the chance to visualize or see all the costs involved with purchasing the home.
