PREPARING FOR A HOME INSPECTION WITH A SAMPLE CHECKLIST

When it comes time to sell or appraise your home, you're going to need a home inspection to make sure that your home is in good condition. When conducting a preliminary inspection of your home, it could really help you to have an idea of what exactly the inspector(s) will be looking for. Knowing what they will be looking for before the inspection will help to ensure that you do not forget any items or locations. With these tools at hand, you'll find that you can move through your inspections quickly and efficiently and will not have to worry about what the inspector may find.

Most home inspection reports will break your house up into sections so that you can take the inspection a section at a time, making your inspection more efficient. You can start inspecting by room, from the entry to your home all the way out to the backyard. You certainly don't want to forget to inspect the outside of your home. Curb appeal is becoming more and more important to potential homebuyers, making it crucial that you pay attention to the exterior details of your home. You can work your way from front to back, and left to right, depending on the easiest flow of movement through your house.

Within each room, there are a variety of categories you want to check. You want to check the structural elements of the house, any plumbing, the electrical features, and any appliances or system equipment (such as a water heater or HVAC unit). You also want to be sure to check out-of-the-way areas, such as the garage, attic, basement, roof, and the exterior of your home. This is a lot of material to have to cover in each room, so it's always good to have your sample home inspection report handy while doing your preliminary inspection.

Having an inspection can also help you get your house ready to put on the market. You'll be able to see what you need to fix so that you do not have to pay an appraiser to come out and provide a list of items to repair and then pay him or her to come back out and give you a thumbs-up after you're done with the work. It's far more efficient to find these issues on your own. By reviewing the sample inspection report prior to listing your home, you'll save a lot of time and money on getting your home in the best possible condition.

HOME STAGING ADVICE - PREPARING TO SHOW YOUR HOME

Having an open house is a great way to give potential buyers an opportunity to get acquainted with your home, but it can also be a nerve-wracking experience for you as the current owner. So many people feel ill-equipped to make their homes appealing to potential buyers that they hire professional stagers to make their homes more marketable. While it's easy to understand why people will go to such great lengths to make sure that their homes have as much market appeal as possible, it's also relatively simple to stage it yourself and make it more appealing without spending an arm and a leg to do it. Here is some expert home staging advice.

A good book will hook you with the very first sentence. An open house is much the same. You need to do your best to hook potential buyers with your curb appeal. This could mean everything from making sure that your lawns are mowed and in good condition to repainting your house trim so that your home doesn't look dilapidated. It is clear that curb appeal is an important aspect of selling your home. Chances are that if a potential buyer doesn't like the way the exterior or your house looks, they won't bother to come inside.

The interior of your home is obviously important, as well. A potential buyer needs to be able to see him or herself living there. That's why it's important for your home not to scream, "This is my house!" at every turn. An excellent piece of home staging advice is to minimize accessories and accents. You want people to see your home, not your design preferences. Painting the walls a neutral color helps, too. That way, the potential buyers aren't overwhelmed by your favorite colors and can imagine the room in their own favorite color palette.

Obviously, you want to make sure that your home is as clean as possible when you invite potential buyers in. The sight of a giant dust bunny can so distract a potential buyer that they can only think of this dust bunny when they think of your home. You don't want to distract the buyer from the beauty of the home itself, especially not with such a negative item. With a little paint, a little elbow grease, and some good expert home staging advice, you can have your home ready for an open house in no time.

This article is brought to you by Elliot Koolik for Koolik Group Realty. Koolik Group Realty is a family-owned residential real estate company which specializes in the buying and selling of luxury real estate in Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton, FL, as well as areas of Delray Beach, FL and other prime South Florida locations. Whether you are looking for a luxury home in Woodfield Country Club, new home construction, vacation homes or retirement properties, Koolik Group Realty has the property for you.