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Home Inspection Expert Offers Tips on How to Get Top Dollar When Selling Your Home
By Editor | September 8, 2007
Sellers should have their home pre-inspected before putting it on
the market, according to HouseMaster(R), North America’s leading home
inspection service.
According to Kathleen Kuhn, president
and CEO of HouseMaster, a targeted and complete home inspection prior
to putting a house on the market will identify many underlying
conditions in need of repair. Both the National Association of Homes
Builders (NAHB) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) predict
a strong housing market for 2005, and Kuhn suggests a pre-inspection is
especially important before the spring real estate market heats up, and
after winter’s damaging effects can be assessed.
“If you’ve
lived in a house for 20 years, you’ve probably learned to live with a
few problems, since you see them everyday. A potential buyer will see
these as turnoffs,” said Kuhn. “With so many buyers getting a
professional home inspection, cosmetic improvements aren’t necessarily
enough to get the best price.”
For every $100 in repairs a
home needs, a buyer is likely to try to negotiate about $200 off the
asking price, Kuhn said. And for high-ticket items like a new roof,
moisture problems or heating/cooling/plumbing issues, a seller can
potentially lose tens of thousands of dollars.
Kuhn
believes the following areas of a home must be checked after a hard
winter and urges homeowners to use a reliable, professional inspector:
* Roof - Roof shingles and flashings may be missing due to high winds or
heavy ice and snow, leaving areas exposed to water damage during spring
rains, especially if there is not proper drainage.
* Sidewalks and Exterior Landscaping - Sidewalks may have been damaged
due to heavy salting, storm drains, cracks in the foundation due to
settling, screen or window damage, downspouts, insect infestation,
faulty weather-stripping, and trees or bushes that may hang dangerously
close to the house or gutters. The heavy use of any calcium chloride
agent to melt snow can corrode not only driveways and sidewalks, but
can also kill plants and pit concrete.
* Foundations - Shoveled snow piled against a foundation can cause cracks
and ultimately leaks and water damage. Any drains serving patio,
driveway, swimming pool walkways or other outdoor areas should be dug
clear and snow should not be piled anywhere on the property where it
will block natural drainage paths. Heavy rains can result in separating
foundations and leakage around windows.
* Windows - Ice and heavy rains can also cause cracking and rotting
around windows.
HouseMaster has franchises in more than 370 cities in the United States
and Canada. The company has collectively performed nearly 2 million
inspections since 1979. For more information about home selling and
inspections, visit http://www.housemaster.com/ or call 800.526.3939.
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