Once you have put your home on the market and an offer has been accepted, the detail-filled journey toward closing becomes your next endeavor. Appraisal deals with the value of a home, while an inspection deals with the condition of a home. Inspections and appraisals are important parts of the home buying and selling process to protect your financial interest. In order to help make every step of that process a little easier for you, let’s take a look at this checklist of important things to do to prepare your Greater Cincinnati house for inspections and appraisals.
Make It Sparkle
The first thing to do when getting ready to put your house up for sale is to deep clean anything and everything.
Be sure to take extra care to reach any less accessible areas, and even take the time to clear and clean storage spaces. Spots that you would normally forego in your usual cleaning routine – like the insides of kitchen cabinets – are the extra details that will take your cleaning job to the next level.
You’ll be amazed to see the results of your time and effort, and it will pay off once potential buyers are shuffling in and out of the home.
Keep Your Spaces Organized
With everything cleaned, it’s time to minimize the mess and maximize your available living space through decluttering.
Go through each and every room in your home and remove any items that are unnecessary or take up an inordinate amount of living space. Closets, basements, and attics are also included in this list. When it comes to these larger storage areas, we recommend removing everything, splitting the items into one half to keep and one half to go, and following through.
You may discover that you can make do with your home’s available storage, but it could also be helpful to temporarily rent a storage locker.
Patch Things Up
After you have cleared out the clutter, it’s the perfect opportunity to get to any minor repairs that have been on the backburner.
Don’t commit to large repairs but do your best to remedy small, cosmetic issues and anything you would consider absolutely essential. This is also a good time to update little details, such as outdated lighting fixtures or cabinet hardware.
When selling your home, there are few things more inconvenient than having an offer stalled due to repair contingencies.
Refresh Your Exterior
Any experienced real estate agent will tell you that curb appeal is key to any sale, and it’s time to improve your home for the best results.
The best way to accomplish this is to power wash the exterior and windows using a quality house wash followed by a thorough rinse. Power washing any walkways, sidewalks, and driveway areas will also get things looking spectacular.
Your landscaping can be perfected by laying fresh mulch, cleaning up unruly shrubs, and keeping your lawn mowed all the way up until closing.
Research the Neighborhood
Besides making physical improvements to your home, gathering information to help better understand your property’s market value is highly encouraged.
You can formulate a reasonable idea by looking at the final sale prices of relatively similar homes in your neighborhood that sold over the last few years. Do keep in mind that this will give you a range of pricing to consider for your home, and may help prevent any unwelcome surprises when it’s time for the appraisal.
The Final Test
If you really want to try your very best to be in tip-top shape for inspections and appraisals, have a third party or your agent do a walkthrough of your home as if they were an interested buyer.
Let them look in every nook and cranny to find anything that you may have missed but would be noticed by a buyer. This test could prove to be a big step to avoid further issues down the road once negotiations are underway.
Team Sztanyo is Your Professional Guide for Inspections and Appraisals in Greater Cincinnati
Going through the home selling process can be nerve-wracking, but you can be ready for anything inspections and appraisals have to throw at you by contacting our experienced team today at (513) 813-6293!
You only need to make one stop, with the convenience of our professional hybrid agents and investors all rolled into one at Team Sztanyo. If you have any questions about which option is best for your situation, Team Sztanyo will take the time to listen. Team Sztanyo will address any of your concerns with no obligation. To learn more about how our hybrid agents and investors can help you solve your problems, contact Team Sztanyo at (513) 813-6293 today and get started.
When you call, we listen.
If you have questions like What comes first the appraisal or the inspection? Should you clean your house before an appraisal? Then give us a call! When you call our hotline, you’ll be connected with our real estate expert who will listen to the specifics of your situation before making recommendations and answering any questions you have.