Rick Jacquemard, Flatirons Home Inspections
BOULDER – One of the best ways to make certain your home attracts buyers and the highest possible sales price is to make sure it’s “dressed for success,” both inside and out. A fresh coat of paint and some new landscaping may seem like obvious first steps in preparing your home for sale. However, when it comes to the home inspection, there’s much more to do.
Beginning with the exterior, repair things like loose steps, disconnected gutters and rotted trim. Look for anything that’s been neglected and needs repair, like a rotted windowsill or missing roof shingle. A pair of binoculars is a good tool to use for the roof review. Besides missing shingles, look for loose metal flashing around chimneys and plumbing vents, a common cause
of leaks.
Inside, give your mechanical systems an honest assessment. If your heating and cooling system hasn’t been recently inspected and/or serviced, do it now. If you are aware of any minor plumbing or electrical repairs that need to be done, get them done before the home inspection takes place. Leaky toilet fill valves, drippy faucets or electrical outlets that don’t work might seem minor, but fixing them now not only means you’ll have less to worry when the inspection is done, it also shows both the inspector and the buyers that you’ve taken good care of your home.
One of the smartest things you can do to get your home ready for sale is to hire your own home inspector to go through it before it goes on the market. If problems are discovered, you have the time to either repair these yourself or disclose them upfront to the buyer, eliminating the possibility that the buyer will ask you to make repairs later.
For more information on home inspections contact Rick Jacquemard, at 720.280.3544, e-mail [email protected] or visit flatironshi.com.
By Rick Jacquemard, Flatirons Home Inspections
