Do this before listing

By Jennifer Underwood, Realtor, ABR, CRS, SRES

The most stressful aspect of selling your home is uncertainty. You aren’t sure how to price it or what a home inspector might find that could ruin a deal and cost you money.

I recommend anyone considering putting their home on the market think about performing these three pre-inspections. They’ll take the stress away and make the process go smoother.

1) The first inspection can be performed by a knowledgeable Realtor. He or she can do a walk-through of your home with you to help determine what it may be worth in the current real estate market.

2) I also recommend a pre-home inspection. These are especially helpful if you have lived in your home for 10 or more years, or if you are not able to access parts of your home like the attic. I know some wonderful inspectors who specialize in pre-inspections. He or she will identify items that they would alert a buyer to. This provides you the opportunity to either fix the issues or disclose them as necessary. Knowing what an inspector is going to find in advance puts your mind at ease.

3) The third inspection is one that you can do on your own by buying a test kit at a hardware store, or you can hire a company. It is a radon test. Radon is an invisible gas often found in homes. If you are living in a home with a radon level higher than 4.0 picoliters, the EPA states it should be mitigated because long-term exposure can cause cancer. If your home has radon, it can be corrected but it usually costs around $1,000 to fix.

Jennifer Herron-Underwood works at the Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Offices at 2055 Crocker Road, Suite 101, in Westlake. Check out her “Downsizing 101” seminar on YouTube. Call her at 440-371-2862or visit JenniferHerron.com for more information.