Selling a property is an excellent way earn income or to invest in other properties. Check out these eight things you should do before selling.
- Hire a Licensed Home Inspector
Your untrained eye may think your home is in perfect condition but hiring a licensed home inspector is imperative before selling your investment property. A licensed professional can provide an accurate idea of your property’s value. Remember, buyers have their own home inspector, so hiring one will give you a good idea of what you need to repair or provide a credit for when you do sell.
- Clean Everything You Can
A clean property is much more likely to sell. Deep clean inside, including airducts and vents, light fixtures and on top of high shelves. Vacuum and wax floors, too. Outside, keep the yard mowed and free of debris and clean the siding and windows. If nobody is living in the property, perform dusting and other maintenance once every week or two.
- Call a Pest Control Professional
Even if you don’t see signs of insect or rodent infestation in or around the home, it’s a good idea to call a pest control company. Professionals can perform a full inspection to ensure there are no pests and handle any signs of infestation they do find.
- Stage the Property
If you or someone else is living in the house, staging the home is important. Put away any personal items, such as photographs, and use flowers or other basic décor. Rearranging the furniture also helps. You might consider hiring a professional home stager for this step.
- Take Professional Photographs
Nobody wants to go to an open house if the pictures in the ad were obviously taken on a low-quality camera. If you can, hire a photographer. If you can’t, use plenty of natural light and avoid camera angels or lenses that are too creative.
- Talk to Tenants
If you have tenants, you’ll need to talk to them at some point. Offer to provide a cleaning service and work around their schedule in terms of showing the house. If you can, it is easiest just to wait until their lease is up before trying to sell.
- Gather Your Documents
Gather any warranties, repair receipts and tenant leases. If your tenants will stay on after the property sells, have them provide an estoppel certificate that details how much they pay, when they pay and how much they provided as a security deposit.
- Hire an Agent
Trying to sell a property alone can be daunting, especially if you have a day job or other properties to take care of. Consider hiring a real estate agent to help you.
Many of these steps are optional but pest inspections are not. Contact a reputable company for pest control today.
