Category: News

You invest a great deal of time, money, and energy to market your listings, and of course you need to get a good return on that investment. Don’t be caught unaware of problems that could seriously undermine your dedicated efforts to sell a home, or that could keep a property from selling at its highest potential price. One of the best steps you can take to avoid this is to recommend a professional home inspection prior to listing.

A pre-listing inspection can uncover previously unknown problems – major and minor -- allowing sellers the opportunity to make repairs, updates, or replacements as needed or as they wish. By having the home inspected before it goes on the market, you can market the home with greater knowledge of its condition. The inspection report will also give you important information you can use to price the property correctly and maximize its value. A seller that understands any significant shortcomings the home has will likely be more amenable to your advice on which issues to address and how the results of the inspection may affect – positively or negatively – the home’s price and marketability. Being aware of issues in advance will also allow for disclosure of problems when selling, which can result in cleaner offers and a smoother transaction for both parties.

Make sure that the home inspection offered is comprehensive and that the report will be delivered immediately upon completion of the inspection. This allows your sellers to get the information they need right away so they can decide on their next steps prior to having you list the home. Photos should always be part of a professional report so that full documentation of conditions is available to both the sellers and potential buyers, should the seller opt to share this information with them. This can be especially important when it comes to identifying issues that will not be addressed or repaired prior to sale. It’s especially beneficial if your sellers attend the inspection, so they can get first-hand feedback and ask any questions of the inspector during the process. If the sellers choose to repair or otherwise address any issues noted in the report, they should keep receipts and any other relevant records to prove that the work was done. Buyers are more likely to feel confident about making a strong offer on a home that has had already-known problems addressed.

Additional testing outside the scope of a standard home inspection can also be performed, including radon, mold, WDO and other specialized inspection services, giving your sellers and potential buyers even more information. It will also lessen the chance of more surprises popping up later in the home-buying process and possibly slowing a transaction already in progress.

With a professional, comprehensive pre-listing inspection in hand, you can market your sellers’ homes with increased confidence and a better outcome for everyone.

Smoke alarms are an important defense against injury or death in house fires. Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association show that nearly two-thirds of home fire fatalities occur in homes with non-working or missing smoke detectors. Most building codes now require smoke detectors in all residential structures, which has resulted in a steep drop in fire- and smoke-related deaths. Homeowners should check with their local public safety office or fire department for specific information on these requirements.

• As in real estate, location is key! Smoke alarms should be in installed every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the home.
• Alarms should be placed high on a wall or on the ceiling. It’s best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement. High, peaked ceilings have dead air space at the top; in these instances smoke alarms should be placed no closer than 3 feet from the highest point.
• For areas close to the kitchen, use a detector with a “hush button” that can be used to silence nuisance alarms triggered by cooking smoke or steam. Alternatively, consider installing a photoelectric alarm near the kitchen, which will not be triggered by cooking. No matter which type is used, never remove the unit’s battery to stop or prevent nuisance alarms.
• There are two primary types of smoke alarm technology: ionization and photoelectric. According to the National Fire Protection Association, ionization alarms are more responsive to flames, while photoelectric alarms are more sensitive to smoldering fires. For the most comprehensive protection, both types or a combination unit should be installed.
• Test each alarm unit monthly. It’s helpful to put a reminder in your calendar to do this on the first or last day of the month, for example. The units have a test button that will sound the alarm for a moment or two when pressed. Any alarm that fails to sound should have the battery replaced. If the test button fails with a new battery, replace the entire detector immediately. Monthly testing is also an ideal time to dust off the unit so that it continues to work properly.
• Replace the batteries at least once a year. A common rule of thumb is to do this when changing to or from Daylight Saving Time in fall or spring. Remember, a non-working alarm is no better than no alarm at all. Many newer alarms now come with 10-year lithium batteries that eliminate the need for new batteries, but the unit itself must be replaced after its stated lifespan.
• If the alarms are hard-wired to the home’s electrical system, make sure they are interconnected for maximum effectiveness – meaning that if one alarm is triggered, all of the others will sound as well. Any hard-wired alarms, interconnected or not, should be installed by a licensed electrician for safety and proper operation.
• The newest type of interconnected smoke alarms are wireless. This technology allows detectors to communicate with one another and, like their hard-wired cousins, will sound all of the units at the same time even if just one is triggered initially.

Early alerting is key to surviving a fire. Following these simple but important measures allows occupants to be warned, helping to prevent injuries and fatalities.