If the seller won't disclose, the pesky home inspector will! A warning to Mr. & Mrs. Seller.
So, you think no one will notice that you had water in the basement because you cleaned it up? or you think no one will notice that you re-wired the light in the kitchen? Think again. Sooner or later the buyer will know and it will cost you now or later, but it will cost you!
When someone talks to me about selling their home, price is the first thing that comes up. My standard phrase is "price it accordingly", then we discuss what I mean by that.
Price it according to condition.
Price it according to location.
Price it according the the local market.
You know all those issues you have just lived with over the years and chose to ignore? Well, they will come up. It is a given. And the buyers will not want to live with the issues, trust me on that one. If you can fix it, do so. If you can't or won't fix it, price it according to the actual condition. (If you think you can hide something about the condition of your home, think again.) Then you must disclose!
(Cue stage right) Bring in the dreaded home inspector.
Did you honestly think that he wouldn't find the bucket you have in the attic used to catch the water pouring in from the active leak you have going on there? He will, and boy oh boy will the buyers be angry.
It may cost you the sale....
The fact you painted over the water stains on the ceiling will not deter this pesky home inspector. They use the CSI method of investigations. You know... the flashlight technique. Walls, joints, ceilings. That beam of light hitting the wall tells all. Fix the leak first, then paint. And note it on the disclosures... (as a side note, just painting over an area that has water damage will show up... that darned inspector has Xray vision or something)
Or it might cost you the sale....
When the outside of the house is rotting, which is causing water problems, either fix it and disclose, or price it according to the condition and disclose. The inspector will find it, the buyers will be angry and...
It may cost you the sale....
When the inspector finds serious issues in an inspection that were not disclosed, I can tell you that the buyer begins to fear that there may be even bigger issues that you are hiding.
And that WILL cost you the sale.
And as a side note, if you think you can just move on and try again, remember this. Your agent is bound by law to disclose known issues, even if you choose not to.
Real Estate in New Milford, Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington, Warren, Kent and Sherman CT.
Andrea Swiedler, Realtor®
Prudential Connecticut Realty
337 Danbury Rd, New Milford CT 06776
Office: 860.355.2646 X 19, Cell: 203.460.1775
Email: andrea@andreaswiedler.com
A Slice of New Milford
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain
© Andrea Swiedler, 2009 - 2011IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING SHORT SALES: Andrea Swiedler and/or Prudential Connecticut Realty are not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan. If you stop paying your mortgage, you could lose your home and damage your credit rating.
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