10 Things To Do Before You List Your Home For Sale

Are you looking to sell your home?  You know that you need to prepare for it.  Taking care of the items below will help with the sale of your property.

As home inspectors, we look at everything, that means everything.  No home is perfect and including issues on the condition report is extremely important.  If your home has problems that are not repaired or fixed, not listing them on the condition report only reduces the amount you will get for the property.

  • List item 1 | Hire a Certified Master Inspector prior to listing your home for sale.  A Pre-inspection will help you find items that should be repaired.

  • List item 2 | Repair any foundation issues. Water stains on the walls or black streaks in the corners of the basement need to be addressed.  Extend the downspouts away from the foundation and clean the walls.

  • List item 3 | Address any electrical issues to ensure your home meets today's requirements.  (i.e. GFCI outlets) also consider new smoke and CO2 detectors and batteries in thermostat)

  • List item 4 | Fix any plumbing issues to prevent water damage.

  • List item 5 | Paint any rooms that need a coat of paint.  Yellowed walls from smoke painted white will clean up a room at a very low cost.

  • List item 6 | Replace any broken windows. 

  • List item 7 | Repair or replace damaged or worn carpet or flooring. The worse it looks the more the inspector will look at other details.

  • List item 8 | Clean and repair gutters and downspouts.  This simple task improves the property and directs water away from the foundation.  At the same time make sure the soil around the hoe is pitches away from the foundation.

  • List item 9 | Replace outdated appliances.  For less than $2000 you can get a new refrigerator, stove and microwave.

  • List item 10 | You are ready to sell!  Now get what you want for your home.