A Seller's Guide

Everyone selling a home wants two things, a quick sale for the most money.  Bringing these two desires as close together as possible is your objective as the realtor or seller of a home.  There are many factors for you to consider in preparing a home for sale and inspection.  As you may be aware, one important factor is that not everyone viewing the home looks at it in the same way or for same reasons.  Buyers, sellers, appraisers, tax assessors, and even home inspectors will each see the home differently.  You must ask the question: “Whose viewpoint do I want to influence and whose viewpoint can I influence?”  You must then ask: “What can I do to influence that viewpoint?” 

The viewpoint that you want to and can influence is the viewpoint of the potential buyers and the home inspectors they choose.  Buyers and inspectors are not necessarily looking at the home in the same way.  However, there are some preparations you can make to positively influence their views and lessen the possibility of a lost sale.

Preparing to influence the viewpoint of potential buyers centers on two elements: curb appeal and staging.  Your goal is to allow potential buyers to imagine themselves living in the home.  A home with peeling paint, overgrown shrubs, loose gutters, etc. will disinterest potential buyers before they even view the interior.  Buyers will assume that the major systems have not been adequately maintained in a home that has not been maintained cosmetically. With minimal effort and cost, a handy seller can improve the curb appeal of almost any home.

A minimal effort on the part of the seller can also do much to stage the home for the potential buyers.  Storing away personal items, such as family photos, and reducing clutter are major factors in staging  a home. Personal items and cluttered conditions limit the ability of potential buyers to imagine their own family living in the home.  Personal touches such as uncommon colors of wall paint can also limit a buyer’s imagination.  Experience has shown that efforts to present a home so potential buyers fall in love with it will pay off.  Such buyers will more readily accept deficiencies found during the home inspection or will negotiate compensation at less cost to the seller.

You can also shorten the list of concerns a home inspector will present to the buyer.  Many concerns home inspectors raise deal with common maintenance and minor repairs to home systems and components.  If addressed before the inspection, these items will not become concerns for the potential buyers. 

In the end, the market will dictate how much time, effort, and expense should be invested in preparing a home.  Using the checklist from our web site will help you identify many items that could be addressed.  However, you may not need to address all of the items.  In a buyer’s market, there are many homes to choose from and a long list of repairs, even minor repairs, may cause a buyer to walk away from a deal.   A similar home around the corner may cost the same and have less to repair.  In a seller’s market, there are fewer homes to choose from and multiple offers are a possibility. Less effort and cost is likely to meet the seller’s goals of a quick sale for the most money.

The checklist available on our web site (click here) will help you document what can be done.  Based on the your goals and the type of market, you will be better able to determine the amount of time and effort required to produce the best results.

You are not required to be able to identify or to fix all of the items you find and list. Try and identify as many items as you can.  Some items may require a home inspector to identify.  Some items may require professionals to repair.  However, many of the items you find and list can be fixed by a handy homeowner. After reviewing the items on the list, prioritize the items requiring repair to find a balance between your goals and the current market.

The Marvin H. Schaefer Inspection Service, Inc. provides pre-market inspections and consultation to home sellers that want the best pre-marketing strategy.