ANNAPOLIS, DAVIDSONVILLE, EDGEWATER, ARNOLD AND SEVERNA PARK REAL ESTATE
If you are currently selling your Annapolis area home, you may already find yourself playing the waiting game. It’s a normal course of affairs in most real estate markets—but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. You’ve got decisions to make, moving deadlines to order, but everything goes into limbo while you await the completion of the buyer’s home inspection report (and the resulting after-inspection decisions). What did the inspector find during the investigation? Will there be significant offer and timing changes as a result of those findings?
When you’re selling your home, one way to nip much of that anguish in the bud is by having already completed a home inspection of your own. You are already aware of minor problems which might or might not concern prospective buyers, but you may not be aware of more serious problems that could trigger an offer change.
If you take the initiative when selling your home to order your own pre-sale inspection, you will get a useful verdict on the overall health of the property. It will help you make an informed decision on whether to spend some money to make repairs—or to lower the asking price.
For instance, even if you’ve had occasion to venture onto your roof in the past, an inspection might reveal broken or missing shingles or flashing that need caulking to prevent water penetration. It might reveal minor chimney brickwork erosion—damage that’s impossible to see from below—that could also risk water entry. Or water may already have intruded and created a mold problem in the attic.
Nationally, it’s estimated that the average new roof this fall will cost more than $5200. When you are selling your home, that’s the kind of item you don’t want to first hear about from a buyer’s inspection. The ‘surprise!’ element can undermine the trust of a buyer who was formerly delighted with everything. The result can be a far greater offer reduction than the cost of repair warrants—or even a complete withdrawal.
Everyone knows the kind of time pressures that often develop when you are selling your home, but by scheduling your own inspection before they arise, you give yourself the opportunity to arrange repairs on your own timetable (and at a price that doesn’t reflect emergency service). At a minimum, you’ll have given yourself some negotiating options.
When it comes to selling your Annapolis area home, forewarned is forearmed. I’m able to offer the kind of experienced counsel that keeps my clients prepared in advance at every point in their home selling process–another good reason why you should give me a call!
DEBORAHLAGGINI, Long and Foster Real Estate, Annapolis, MD 21403
CELL 410.991.6560
EMAIL [email protected]
REALTOR, Annapolis, Davidsonville, Edgewater, and Surrounding Communities
REAL ESTATE, Waterfront, Luxury Homes, New Construction, Relocation