74 / 100
www.theconnectionsnj.com
$5.99
5
553 New Vernon Rd. • Gillette • 908-647-3725
www.GreatSwampGreenhouses.com • Open Daily 8-6
Gift Certificates Available
Decorated Wreaths • Grave Blankets
Unique Ornaments • Holiday Decorations
Fri. & Sat. open until 8pm starting Nov. 24th
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
C. Mannion Construction, LLC
Builders of fine custom homes, additions, and renovations
Since 1964
Kevin C. Mannion
68 Main Street
Peapack, NJ 07977
908-234-1754 Fax 908-234-2155
PAGE 74
home
&
design