Home is a special place for all of us. We may have important memories related to the space, or the space may even feel like a part of your family. However, there may come a time when you need to move away and sell your home. But how do you get the best price for your precious home and ensure it’s a quick sell? It’s all about preparing your home for a pre-sale property inspection.
Why prepare your house for a property inspection?
No house is without its flaws, whether they’re more subtle or out in the open. A building inspection will bring these flaws to light, whatever they are. This can reduce buyer confidence in your property, making the selling process take longer, or even provide an opportunity for potential buyers to negotiate for a lower price.
Therefore, you need to get your home in the best condition before the pre-sale property inspection. So what can you do?
Get on top of maintenance
For starters, you can get on top of any home maintenance tasks that need doing. This will make sure your home is tidy and there are no easy-to-fix flaws spoiling your inspection report.
- Declutter your house: A good first step is to remove any clutter from your home. This can make it difficult for the inspector to get around your home, make your home look unappealing and be perceived as an attempt to hide flaws or problems with your home. It can also make moving to your new home easier, as you won’t be taking as much stuff with you.
- Clean the house, inside and the outside: Once you’ve decluttered your home, you can then get to cleaning. If your home is dirty, it can reflect poorly on the property, including on the inspection report. The inspector may have understandable concerns about pests, like cockroaches, and unhealthy living conditions, like mould. Don’t forget easy to overlook places, like the garage as well as the roof and gutters.
- Clean up the garden: With the house clean, you now just need to clean up outside. This includes dealing with any rubbish outside, mowing the lawn and removing dead plants. An untidy backyard looks unattractive and can also be an indication that pests may be living in or around your home. This may be something the inspector notes concerns over.
- Ensure easy access to additional spaces: With the cleaning work done, don’t forget to ensure the inspector can easily access all parts of your home. This includes the roof, garage and the power box. If they cannot access these areas, they cannot accurately report on them. This can then look suspicious to potential buyers.
DIY repair jobs
With the maintenance work done, it’s time to handle any repair jobs you can manage by yourself.
- Replace any burned-out bulbs: The inspector will need to be easily able to see around your home. Therefore, replace any burned-out bulbs so this isn’t an issue. It can also help to clean light fittings, as these can get dirty and may even contain dead insects.
- Replace or repair damaged screens: Insects are a problem in all parts of Australia, and missing or damaged fly-screens can prove an easy way for them to get inside and cause havoc in your home. Therefore, fix or replace any damaged screens in your home so the inspector has no need to worry about a pest infestation.
- Fix loose railings, doorknobs and handles: Loose railings, doorknobs and handles can all be the catalyst for accidents. This may then be something that an inspector notes in their report, suggesting your home is somewhat unsafe. Avoid this black mark by fixing them up.
- Patch up holes: Holes in walls do not look good and can lead to potential issues with wiring, insulation and plumbing. Ensure that the inspector doesn’t worry potential buyers with these thoughts by patching up any holes in your walls.
- Fix doors and windows that stick: All doors and windows in your home need to easily open to allow easy access, as well as good airflow. Doors and windows that stick can be an issue in an emergency, such as a fire, and can impact the air quality in the home.
Call in professionals if needed
There may be some repairs needed in your home that should only be done by a professional. If there are any problems with the home’s plumbing, electrical, or heating and cooling systems, call in a professional rather than attempting these jobs yourself. You can then show the invoice to the property inspector to prove that these issues have been dealt with.
Read here to know what are pre-sale and pre-purchase property inspections?
Conclusion
With a good pre-sale inspection report, you can expect a smoother selling process and to get the true value of your home. From there, you can find your new home and go on to make it your new special place.
