Sellers can do so much before their home gets inspected to put their home in the most positive position and make the job of the New Jersey home inspector easier. If many issues are found during your home inspection this can cause issues with delayed closings, canceled real estate transactions, and lead to drawn out negotiations. Below is the first article so you as a seller can get in front of some of the issues so they don’t come up on your home inspection. This is not about concealment or doing anything underhanded, this is just simply repairing some of the items before they come up on home inspection.
The first step is to start with general basic maintenance of your house.
Clean your home: Ensure that the home is clean and free from clutter and obstruction. If a home inspector cannot traverse or enter an area because of storage or clutter that home inspector will identify those areas during the home inspection and in the home inspection report. This may lead to a delay because the buyer may request a return trip from the home inspector to evaluate those areas that he or she cannot view during the home inspection. Having a clean home is just overall advantageous because it presents a home that is maintained and cared for rather than a home that is possibly neglected.
Lighting: You should replace all the non-working bulbs and light fixtures in the house. You would think this would be a simple thing to do but often this is neglected. A simple thing like replacing the bulb in a stairwell or hallway can go a long way and properly illuminate those areas and shows that maintenance has been performed. This is especially true with exterior lights. NJ Home inspectors will test and report on exterior light fixtures because decks, porches and walkways should be properly illuminated for safety. If they are not properly lit, then having nonworking light fixtures or bulbs will create safety hazards. All non-working fixtures and lights in the home should be absolutely made operational.
Doors and windows: Make sure that the doors and windows in your home operate smoothly and correctly and latch and lock. The home inspector is going to test and operate doors and windows and having nonworking windows is always problematic. This is especially true in bedrooms because bedrooms need to have minimum required requirements for safety purposes. All doors should lock in latch for safety purposes.
Paint: If the paint in your home is poor condition, then you should do the necessary touchups or repaint rooms that have paint in poor condition. I understand that this is mostly a cosmetic issue, however if the paint is neglected, faded or in poor condition the buyer may conclude the home has not been properly maintained or care for. Before you put your house on the market make sure that the exterior and the interior paint are in good condition.
Address all plumbing and water leak issues before you list the home.
Leaks: all leaking faucets and poorly operating toilets should be addressed. The NJ home inspector is going to operate water at all the fixtures and flush the toilets. You want to make sure that all the toilets flush properly and there are no leaking faucets or leaks under any of the sinks in the home
Water pressure: There should be adequate water pressure at each fixture. Water pressure is something that the home inspector will report on. If water pressure is poor at any of the fixtures, take for example at a sink faucet the first step is to clean the aerator or screen. Sometimes sediment builds up in this screen. This will limit water pressure through the faucet even though water pressure in the home may be adequate. Make sure that the toilets are not running and wasting water as well. Toilets should have a good strong flush and if they are not operating properly, they should be addressed by a plumbing contractor before your home inspection.
Drainage: Before you put your home up for sale make sure to clear all slow drains so that water drains. One of the last things you want to do is to have slow drains, tubs or showers in your house. The home inspector will certainly report on the slow drains and the buyer is likely to ask you to correct them. Having multiple slow drains in a home also raises a potential red flag for problems with the main sewer line in the home. The buyer may interpret slow drains as you having a major problem and possibly an obstruction or damage to the main sewer line in the home rather than the problem being at the fixture itself
Heating and air conditioning:
HVAC filters: Make sure that all your HVAC filters are clean before your home gets inspected. Having clean filters shows the buyer that you are up to date on maintenance.
The system should be operational: Make sure that your air conditioning and heating units are operational. Both systems will be tested by the home inspector. In the winter months the home inspector will not be able to operate the air conditioning, but they will operate the heating in the winter months. Make sure that both are well maintained and functional to avoid issues during your home inspection. You can test your air-conditioning function by using an indoor-outdoor thermometer. The temperature of the airflow from the registers or vents should be a minimum of 14° colder than the temperature at the returns in the home. This is one easy to check for a properly operating air-conditioning system.
Electrical system:
Electrical receptacles: Make sure that all electrical receptacles are operational and that GFCI electrical receptacles properly trip when tested. Home inspectors will be testing GFCI electrical receptacles because it is required in the New Jersey home inspection regulations. Home inspectors must report on any nonworking GFCI electrical spectacles or breakers. Before your home gets inspected you can purchase a simple GFCI outlet tester and go around your home testing the various GFCI’s that are present. You can have an electrical contractor change any of the receptacles that do not trip as required.
Electrical panel boxes: If your home has one of the electrical panel boxes that have a very poor reputation you should consider replacing it before you put the home on the market. These poor panels are made by the Federal Pacific Electric Company, Zinsco, Push Matic, and some challenger electrical panels. If you have a panel that is manufactured by these companies which are known for safety hazards. You should consider replacing them before they are called out by your buyer’s home inspector.
Structural and exterior problems:
Roof: The roof is one of the most important systems of a home that a home inspector will evaluate. Having a roof that is old and in poor condition will certainly be called out by the home inspector and will be a problem. In fact, if your roof is past its life expectancy, which is typically 20 years for an asphalt roof you should consider replacing it proactively. This will present to the buyer a new roof and will certainly help you sell your home. If you have any missing or damaged shingles and you choose to keep your older roof, then at a minimum any damaged or missing shingles should be replaced.
Foundation wall cracks. Nothing scares a buyer like foundation wall cracks. It is true that cracks are not equal in severity. In fact, some can be attributable to just normal long-term settlement. However, there are some cracks that are structural in nature. These are generally horizontal cracks that are caused by hydraulic pressure pushing on the foundation walls from the exterior. If you have horizontal cracks as viewed from the exterior or the interior of your basement you should have a professional engineer evaluate those cracks and issue an engineering report. If the cracks are not significant then at least you will be able to present your buyer with that engineering report. If the cracks are more significant then you can address and repair those problems before you put the home on the market. Getting ahead of these large potential issues will help prevent delays and help prevent the possibility of an extended negotiation.
Sidewalks: You should also as a potential seller of a home look at your sidewalks and repair any raised areas or possible tripping hazards. Any tripping hazards in your sidewalk or driveway will be identified during your home inspection. Attempt to repair any cracking or replace any badly damaged sections of sidewalk to avoid these problems coming up on your home inspection report and possibly delay or lengthening the negotiation process.
As the seller there are so many things that you can do to make your home ready for home inspection. If you get in front of these issues your transaction will be so much smoother it is surprising to see how many problems come up during a home inspection that could be easily rectified before the home inspection is carried out. If you are a smart seller, you will address some or all these issues, so you have a cleaner home inspection and easier overall real estate sale.
Kitchen & Appliances: Make sure that all kitchen appliances are working including the oven, microwave, range, dishwasher, garbage disposal, refrigerator, ice maker, water filter. Make any necessary repairs to the appliance because the home inspector will be testing these appliances at the time of the home inspection.
Preparing your home before the home gets inspected will make for a smoother transaction and help the buyer feel more confident in the home that they are purchasing. By making small repairs you can make for a more efficient negotiation. A well-maintained home gives confidence to the buyer and likely will result in offers that meet or exceed your asking price.