Home Inspections Can Increase Value
If you've ever seen any of the home staging shows then you'll know how effective a clean, well presented home can increase the perceived values of a home when you sell. Remember when you bought your home and you had an inspector look it over carefully? Remember the detailed report you were provided showing all the main systems and all the little things that accumulate over the years? Or maybe it was a new home and you haven't taken a hard look at things much since buying.
A regular home inspection can help keep your home in tip top shape. You're probably doing an annual inspection of your HVAC system already, right? Plan also on every few years to have a complete home inspection. Particularly before you put your house back on the market to move to your next dream home or your empty nest hideaway.
Sometimes after a house has been contracted for sale, an inspector hired by the buyer during the option period may find things like questionable foundation concerns, roofing problems or faulting wiring systems that will scare the buyer off. And once a possible buyer has backed out of a deal as a result of a poor inspection report, it can stain the house in the eyes of the market-place, sending it to the bottom of the price range and beyond.
The home inspection should be your bases for a vigorous preventative maintenance schedule to keep your home in the best condition possible. And when your home is in its best condition you'll always be at the top of the value range for similar homes. That can easily be another 20 thousand dollars or more when you do sell. Because the differences in price when you sell go to perception as much as anything. If the cosmetics and mechanical systems are both in great shape then you'll be able to get a sales price at the top of the range for your home and area.
If you're in an average neighborhood of $200,000 homes, the range is typically 10-15%. A good state licensed inspector will run about $250 - $400, you may identify needed repairs between $500-$2,000, but can achieve a re-sell value of as much as $20k more, so do the math. That's up to $18,000 more for you.
Selecting a good inspector is easy. Use a TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission) licensed inspector, preferably with substantial experience and references. I list a couple on my website that I like under the service tab. Philo Ramos is a civil engineer as well as very thorough and helpful. His number is 972.517.8757. Let me know if you need contractors too. The one's I use regularly are reliable and competitive.
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