The Connections Warren-Watchung Edition Dec 2019-Jan 2020

theconnectionsnj.com Jody Udelsman , ABR, SRS Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 1 South Finley Ave, Basking Ridge NJ 07920 cell: 908-868-9590 NJ Realtors® Circle of Excellence Women's Council of Realtors North Central Network - President-Elect www.SellyourHomewithJody.com “Referrals are the best compliment I can receive.” Marketing Strategies with Proven Results Serving Basking Ridge, Berkeley Heights and surrounding towns Buying or Selling Next Year? Trust Jody to get the deal done. Sold in 2019 245 Whitenack Rd, Far Hills $604,000 represented buyers 7 Sussex Pl, Morristown $719,000, 100% list price 154 Fairview Ave, Berkeley Heights $854,000, 100% list price 54 Dean Rd, Mendham $615,000 represented buyers 882 Valley Rd, Gillette $423,000, 99.5% list price 2603 Ashfield Ct, Denville $415,000, 99.7% list price Home inspection issues have been hobbling transactions lately. Why risk having your deal fall apart and having to put your house back on the market when a pre-inspection can save you time and money? I advise clients to pay close attention to their front entrance and foyer because the first impression your home makes sets the tone for how buyers view the rest of the house. If they see peel- ing paint or cracked tiles, they will start to look for other signs of wear and tear or neglect. It does- n’t mean they won’t want to buy your house. It does mean they will be lowering their price. The same concept applies to the home inspection. The purpose of a home inspec- tion is to help a person under- stand the condition of a particular house. When problems are identi- fied, they fall into three categories: MAJOR CONCERNS/ SAFETY HAZARDS Major issues such as structural defects, building code violations, mold or safety issues will need to be addressed before your buyer can get a mortgage. You can save time languishing on the market by taking care of these issues before you list. Being aware of any major expense items is helpful before choosing the price you hope to get and allows you to work with your Realtor to price your house accordingly. REPAIRS Some repairs are easy. Other repairs will be more cost-effective for you to do rather than paying a buyer’s licensed contractor to do the work if it shows up on their inspection report. Keep in mind that first-time homebuyers often lack the resources and knowledge to handle simple home repairs and will mentally inflate the cost of fixing things. The fewer the repair items on the buyer’s inspec- tion report, the more comfortable they will be moving forward and the more likely your accepted price will be unaffected. ITEMS TO MONITOR These are potential problems to be aware of but they could affect your deal. If your furnace or air conditioning systems are nearing the end of their useful life, consid- er offering your buyers a home warranty. Do you fix everything? Of course not. Buyers are not entitled to a perfect house and of course there is no such thing. Their home inspector may point out things that your inspector did not. The point is to eliminate major surpris- es that can jeopardize your sale and to fix those things that are in your power to address. Hiring your own home inspec- tor before listing your house for sale puts you in control. Being assured your house is in good working order can help you save time, save money, minimize stress and quickly get to the closing table. Jody Udelsman lives in Basking Ridge and is a Realtor-Sales Associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. SHOULD YOU PRE-INSPECT YOUR HOUSE? By: Jody Udelsman, Coldwell Banker home & design PAGE 30