Top 5 Features Home Inspectors Recommend When Selling Your Home

If you have ever purchased or sold a home, you probably developed a (hopefully good) relationship with your home inspector. My father-in-law is actually a licensed home inspector in the city of Dallas and comes across hundreds of homes a year. He ends up knowing which ones sell quickly versus staying on the market a long time. These are his top five features he looks for in a home.

1. Energy efficient plumbing fixtures. Nothing says outdated like a pink toilet, right? Beyond the fact that new faucets look prettier than the 1980’s crystal knob fad, they are also usually energy efficient regarding water usage. The owner should know if any plumbing fixtures have been replaced or installed while they were living there and whether or not those fixtures were energy efficient. If your home does not have energy efficient toilets and faucets, it is definitely worth the money to replace them before listing your home. Do not forget to keep your receipts, because that money you spend is also tax deductible on your next tax return!

2. Repair any cracked mortar/siding. Cracked mortar or deteriorated siding is a tell-tale sign to many other potential structural damages on a home. If your home has cracked mortar it will trigger your home inspector to check (probably too) carefully all structural aspects of your home. Also, when home buyers come to look at your home and your pre-inspection report has this on it, the seller’s realtor will also be sure and mention this, which could deter the sellers from buying your home.

3. Gutters. Gutters are more common in parts of the country where they get consistent rain all year long. However, they are just as important in drier parts of the country as well. Any time it rains and water falls off your roof all around your home, it can be corroding away the dirt around the edge of your home. What most people don’t know is that this can cause the earth around your home to shift and cause damage to your concrete slab that supports your whole house. If you don’t have gutters installed, it is a good idea to get them installed, and if you do have them, be sure they are in great working condition and you might even give it a new coat of paint just to be on the safe side.

4. Energy saving thermostat. Any thermostat that has been installed in the last ten years is probably a programmable thermostat. This can help save energy, but a Smart Home thermostat, like one from Georgetown Home Security, can take the energy efficiency of a home to a whole new level. You can program it on a daily schedule to reduce normal energy bills, but beyond that, you can adjust that thermostat from your wireless device from anywhere in the world. You can also turn on or off your lights the same way. This is a feature that draws all home buyers in and gives them confidence they will be saving money and energy on a monthly basis.

5. Monitored alarm system. Anybody who has purchased a home with a security system understands the value added when a system is already installed. It is just treated like any other utility bill in the simplicity of the transfer process to the new owners. The new owners will know their home is protected from the minute they start moving into their home, and they do not have to coordinate additional technicians coming to their home to install their alarm system. The company my father-in-law recommends is Home Security San Antonio because they are a local company who actually services most of Texas.

Home inspectors want to help you prepare your home for selling by helping you know everything that could be wrong with your house. Take preventative measures by taking care of these five items before they even come – your inspector will thank you for it! Please comment below if any of this information helped you or a friend out when selling your home.

 

Author bio: Karen is a work from home mom of two busy boys who works hard to always be more healthy, safe, fun, and frugal!

 

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