So you’re getting ready to take your car to the dealer for an estimate of its trade-in value. What do you do first? Most likely you get it detailed – and this means more than simply vacuuming it out. Picture yourself steam cleaning, stain removing, de-odorizing and buffing until it shines.
Preparing your home to maximize your selling price requires a very similar process. It takes careful planning and an investment strategy approach to ensure that your property attracts optimal market value.
There is a growing trend towards home sellers commissioning ‘Pre-Home Inspections’. By preemptively investigating the potential issues that would be revealed during a home inspection, home-owners have the opportunity to remedy the required repairs in advance.
Another pre-inspection that is becoming increasingly common are those related to septic systems and drinking water. It is highly advisable to obtain health department certification prior to listing country properties for sale. This documentation is mandatory for financing approvals and the delivery of a potable water source is the home owner’s contractual responsibility.
Eco-energy audit reports are also starting to become more prevalent in the marketplace. Since 2007 the federal government has offered ‘on again, off again’ grant programs to facilitate homeowners making their homes more energy-efficient.
The ecoENERGY Retrofit home program was renewed again on June 6, 2011 and continues until March 31, 2012. Homeowners that have upgraded their property under the program can supply buyers with extremely helpful information including the energy rating of their home and the estimated saving on energy bills generated by the retrofits completed.
Perhaps the highest return on investment pre-inspection is the obtaining of a professional home staging report. Most home stagers will provide a room by room list of recommendations on a fee for service basis ranging from $200-$500. Homeowners can then choose to do the work themselves or contract the home stager to complete the recommendations.
For most people, their home is the most valuable investment that they own. Detailing it for sale doesn’t just make sense, it makes dollars too.
Cathy Berkhout-Bosse & John Bosse, Brokers at REMAX Welland Realty Ltd.
Selling Homes & Building Communities – That's What We Do!
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Community Manager @ www.mypelham.com
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