What you should do BEFORE listing your home for sale: Get an Inspection!
There are many important steps to take before listing your home for sale. Many of them may seem obvious, like staging, sprucing up the front yard, decluttering, painting, etc. But here is another helpful pre-listing tip for you that you might not have considered... getting a home inspection. Like the above mentioned pre-listing steps, getting a home inspection can give you a big advantage, especially in a competitive market.
Over 85% of home buyers who apply for a mortgage also ask for an inspection. Home inspections can uncover hidden flaws and expensive repairs. But even though an inspection can make or break the deal, most sellers wait for the buyer to take the initiative (and bite their nails while awaiting the results). Why not skip the nail biting and get the inspection first? We have four reasons why getting an inspection before listing your home can benefit sellers tremendously:
- Reassure prospective buyers and bolster bidding confidence.
Providing prospective buyers with a home inspection beforehand relieves them of the "what ifs" going through there minds even after they have fallen in love with your home and are satisfied with its appearance and perceived condition. They know there could be faulty wiring hiding behind the walls, mold problems or termite damage. While they still might conduct their own follow up inspection, providing a pre-inspection reassures buyers that they can comfortably bid on your home and not anticipate costly repairs down the road.
- Buy time and save money.
Unless it's brand new, your home probably has something a home inspector can find wrong with it. That's what they get paid to do. Getting a pre-inspection allows you plenty of time to price shop contractors, whereas with a typical home inspection you may only have a couple of days to find someone. You can also make the necessary repairs ahead of time so that you DON'T end up making huge concessions at the negotiation table.
- Know where you stand.
You probably have a pretty good grasp on what your final selling price looks like well before the home inspector steps foot in your home. Waiting until you're under contract to find out what problems a home inspection may uncover leaves a big question mark over your head. What compromises will you be asked to make in negotiations if major repair work is needed? Getting an inspection ahead of time helps you anticipate what concessions a buyer may request and allows you to set your list price accordingly.
- Avoid repeat repairs.
Problems are frequently misdiagnosed... even if your nickname is Bob Villa. For example, if your toilet hasn't been flushing correctly, you might immediately assume the problem is the toilet & hire a plumber to replace it. Upon inspection, you discover that the problem was not with the toilet, but rather with the septic system. You have now just replaced a perfectly good toilet, wasted money in doing so, and now have to throw more money at the problem. A pre-inspection would have avoided this and identified the correct repair the first time around.
If you need a recommendation for a quality home inspector in Essex, Union or Morris County, NJ, we would be happy to help!
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If you are selling a home in Livingston, NJ, Robert and Marlisa Zebaida would love to show you how, through strategic pricing, proper condition and staging, and their expert marketing; you are likely to get your home sold quickly in today's Livingston, NJ real estate market.
If you have specific questions relating to homes and Real Estate in Livingston, NJ give us a call at 973.379.7030, or email us at info@zebaidagroup.com. To learn more about Livingston, NJ, we invite you to visit www.ZebaidaGroup.com.
And to all you sellers, don't forget... Get an inspection BEFORE listing your home!
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