Archive for April, 2017

How to Navigate the Home Inspection Process

Sunday, April 30th, 2017
Home inspection

Charles D’Alessandro can help you navigate the home inspection process calmly and with focus. He’s the best Brooklyn Real Estate has to offer!

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Selling our home has been a stressful experience. Not because our agent hasn’t done an excellent job keeping us calm and focused though. Selling our home for top dollar and closing on the appointed day have been the goal and what we have been working toward. We’ve kept our home cleaned, staged, and ready for showing at a moment’s notice, well, almost. Our bags (and dog) have been packed and on-the-ready by the front door since we listed this place last month. And each time we left home, we made sure there was no trace of us (or our dog) living here. Thankfully, our home sold quickly, in less than two weeks. And although a lot of the stress was relieved when it went under contract, it continued to be somewhat stressful. From the agent walk through to the buyer home inspection, many strangers walked through our home. Three inspectors/repair men came in one day! The selling process has been fairly smooth and most of the inspectors and repairmen have been easy to “work” with.

How do you look at the home inspection process? Do you look at this process with dread? Most do. They see inspectors as bad news investigators. If you view home inspections in such a way, I challenge you to look at them from a positive perspective instead. We worked hard to prepare our home for sale, but the buyer home inspections provided us with the opportunity to see what still needed to be repaired. We then used the money set aside for repairs on the original net sheet prepared by our agent. The buyer home inspection went well and required us to use only half of what we set aside! It wasn’t a bad experience at all!

What a Home Inspection Does for the Seller

The American Society of Home Inspectors states, “a home inspection can give [sellers] the opportunity to make repairs that will put the house in better selling condition.” Home inspections also encourage smooth transactions and help sellers receive their asking price. But what if the home inspector finds major issues? Here are three tips to help you navigate the home inspection process.

3 Tips to Help Navigate the Home Inspection Process Positively

1. Work with your agent to be ready for inspection ahead of time.

Make sure your home and you are as ready for inspection as you can possibly be. As early in the selling process as you can, do a walk-through with your agent. Let them point out potential issues. Remember, they want your house to sell quickly and for top dollar, too! Ask, “Do you think I should fix that?” and be prepared to hear, “I would.” And when the home inspector walks through your home and reveals a few more flaws, don’t take it personally. Just appreciate that another pair of eyes are helping you sell your home.

2. Help your agent know everything there is to know about any issues your home may have before inspection day.

Ask your agent to let you know the date and time of the home inspection. It’s best if you aren’t present for the buyer home inspection. If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to answer questions to explain any issues your home may have during the inspection, have your agent call you with questions they don’t already have the answers to.

3. Keep reminding yourself that the inspector is just doing their job.

When the time comes for the actual inspection to take place, remember, the home inspector is simply doing their job. A number of real estate deals fall through when buyers and sellers get tangled up in negative emotions about repairs. Your home is important to you, but taking the emotion out of the situation will benefit both you and the buyer. Stay focused on the bigger picture and your end goal: getting the best return on your investment and moving into a new home.

Finally …

Know this: the best laid plans can go awry. You can prepare for the home inspection in every possible way and still watch the deal fail. Thoroughly inform your agent and prepare yourself well. Let the inspector do their job. Be a model seller. Stay calm and focused on your end goal.

Hire Charles D’Alessandro. Contact him at (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 or send him an email at [email protected]. With over 30 years of real estate experience in Brooklyn, you can trust Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate to help you stay calm and focused through the sale of your home.

How to Ease the Stress of the Home Selling Process

Saturday, April 15th, 2017
Home selling process

Buying a home or selling a home, both processes are stressful. Here are six steps for sellers that will help to reduce some of that stress.

In the previous blog post, How to Research and Prepare for the Home Buying Process, we touched on the intimidation and overwhelm that can be felt when buying a home. This week, let’s address the stress of the home selling process.

Buying a home or selling a home, both processes are stressful. But just like the home buying process, the home selling process can be less stressful, too. Here are six steps for sellers that will help to reduce some of that stress.

Reducing the Stress of the Home Selling Process

If you’re stressing over the sale of your home, follow these simple steps:

  1. Disclose, disclose, disclose

If you’ve lived in your home for a few years, you’ve likely had to deal with a few issues. Chimney fires, water damage, and water in the basement are a few examples of issues that should be disclosed. Did you add a sump pump or a French drain while living in your home? Disclose every problem you have had and how you solved each one:

  • Explain in detail the issues and how you fixed them
  • Take before and after pictures
  • Save receipts
  1. Find out how your home looks online

Google your address. All buyers are online these days in their search for a new home. Maybe you added a deck or awnings recently. Recent improvements made to your home may not show up on Google Maps’ street view. Flag those updates.

What value does Google estimate your listing to be worth? Is Google’s value of your listing different from your asking price? Your listing may have more bedrooms now than it did when you bought it years ago. Sometimes tax records don’t have updated information which reflects in the value Google lists for your property. If there is a difference, you can fix it without much difficulty.

  1. Make a good first impression

Fix minor repairs. An improperly working doorbell, for example, can cost you a sale. From curb to front door, a home that is well-maintained shows prospective buyers that you have taken good care of it. Prospective buyers appreciate a home that is well-maintained. To them, it is move-in ready and won’t cost them much to fix up and settle into.

  1. Deep-clean inside and out

Nothing is safe from the eye of prospective buyers. They will look inside drawers, cabinets, closets, dishwasher, oven, and refrigerator. to even the dishwasher. Windows, window sills, doors, and baseboards should be free of grunge. Whether you choose to hire a cleaning service or deep-clean your home yourself, the time and money spent will return to you in your sales price.

  1. Be specific about what stays and what doesn’t

Some contracts spell out exactly what is included with the sale of a home. Others are vague. Even though a contract states “appliances included in the sale,” some sellers have replaced their high-end appliances with low-end models. If the refrigerator, oven, dishwasher and microwave are included with the sale of your home, list the make, model, and the serial number of each.

The same goes for what isn’t included. If the refrigerator in the garage isn’t staying, say so, in writing. If items such custom window treatments aren’t included, let your agent know right up front. Legally anything bolted to the wall or ceiling goes to the buyer unless specifically excluded in the contract.

If you plan to take something with you, document it in all print and online marketing materials. There should be no doubt in the buyer’s mind what stays and what goes. Read “5. Fixtures and Appliances” in 7 Must-Have Real Estate Contract Conditions for more information on this topic.

  1. Stage your home

Take a good look at your house. What do you see? Would you want to buy your house? If you see things that need fixing, like paint touchups, fix them.

But what if you can’t really see your house? Clear the clutter out, and hire a home stager to help you prepare your house for touring. Trust what they tell you to do, and do it. Once your home is staged, keep it that way. It’s inconvenient and challenging to live in a staged home, but it’s worth it. A staged home will help your home sell faster and for more money, and it will help you keep your home show-ready, too.

Like the home buying process, the home selling process is stressful, too, but these six steps can minimize the stress. Get great help right from the start. Hire the right real estate agent. Contact Charles D’Alessandro at (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 or email [email protected]. With over 30 years of real estate experience in Brooklyn, you can trust Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate to sell your home today.