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We provide Home Inspection Services to All of Southeastern Wisconsin

which include the Cities, Towns, or Villiages of Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis, Fox Point, Brown Deer, River Hills, Bayside, Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Brookfield, New Berlin, Hales Corners, Elm Grove, Greenfield, Greendale, Muskego, Waukesha, Franklin, Mukwonago, Vernon, Big Bend, Pewaukee, Hartland, Delafield, Oconomowoc, Sussex, Summit, Wales, North Prairie, Eagle, Butler, Thiensville, Mequon, North Shore, Cedarburg, Grafton, Port Washington, Saukville, Germantown, Richfield, Hartford, Jackson, West Bend, Slinger, Hubertus, Newburg, Erin, Wayne, Trenton, Kenosha, Burlington, Wind Lake, Elkhorn, East Troy, Racine, Caledonia, Union Grove, Pleasant Prairie, Sturtevant, Waterford, Elm Grove, and more

Is Your Home Physically Fit?

To give your home a competitive edge when it's time to sell, make sure it is in good physical condition. This not only makes your home more attractive and desirable, it also simplifies the negotiation process when the time comes for the buyer's pre-purchase inspection. According to home inspection experts, approximately half the resale homes in the market today have at least one significant defect. Routine maintenance is the best way to prevent major, costly problems from developing in the first place. If you have been putting off those repairs, now is the time to make them.
A Home Seller's Check List
Over the years, ASHI has identified a list of common problems that typically appear on buyer's home inspection reports. Early correction of these problems can increase a home's appeal and its selling price. It also sets the stage for a favorable home inspection report for the buyer, and thereby helps to expedite the sale. The following 6-point checklist can help you achieve these marketing goals.

1. CHECK THE MAJOR SYSTEMS
After size, style, and location, a home buyer's primary concern is the condition of the home's basic structure and major mechanical systems. Most buyers do not want to invest a great deal of money correcting problems in such critical areas.
A pre-listing home inspection of the visible and accessible home components can reveal most of these problems, and include recommended repairs, if needed, on the following major items:

Roof structure and covering
Foundation, basement, and/or crawl space
Central heating and air conditioning systems
Electrical system
Plumbing system

2. MAKE MAINTENANCE IMPROVEMENTS
A number of maintenance improvements are relatively easy and inexpensive to make, yet they can substantially improve a home's appearance, efficiency, and comfort. A professional home inspector may make helpful maintenance suggestions, such as:

Trim trees and shrubs which touch or overhang the house
Apply new caulking and weather stripping as needed around windows and doors
Clean gutters of debris and leaves; repair or replace cracked or broken gutters, downspouts, and extensions to ensure proper drainage
Replace bathroom caulk or grouting where necessary to prevent seepage and improve appearance
Ventilate closed basements and crawl spaces, or install a dehumidifier, to prevent excessive moisture build-up
Regrade soil around the foundation, as needed to keep water away from the house
Replace dirty filters in the heating and air conditioning systems
Have the heating and air conditioning systems professionally serviced
Have chimneys professionally cleaned, and install chimney hoods or caps as needed

3. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS
Fixing even minor items can go a long way toward improving that important first impression of our home. Here are some typical improvements which might be suggested by the home inspector's findings:

Repair leaky faucets
Tighten loose doorknobs
Replace damaged screens
Replace broken panes of glass
Replace burned-out light bulbs
Secure loose railings
Repair and coat driveway
Patch holes or cracks in walls and ceilings, then repaint
Repair peeling wallpaper

4. TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Home inspectors also pay attention to items relating to protecting the home and its occupants from danger. They can alert you to important safety precautions which home buyers will appreciate, such as:

Installing smoke detectors on each level
Installing Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI's) in "wet" areas, such as kitchen counters tops, bathrooms, and exterior outlets
Keeping flammable products away from heaters, water heaters, and fireplaces

5. MAKE COSMETIC IMPROVEMENTS

An attractive, clean, and neat home will appeal to a buyer's emotions. In addition to making repairs such as those listed above, remember to:

Keep the lawn mowed and the house neat
Clean the exterior walls and trim; repaint if necessary
Open windows shades and curtains to create a bright, inviting atmosphere
Keep the kitchen and bathrooms clean, since buyers scrutinize these areas

6. PREPARE FOR THE BUYER'S INSPECTION

It's a good idea to assemble in advance various house records that can be used to answer questions from buyers and home inspectors. In addition to an affordable sales price, they will also want to be sure that the neighborhood and house meet the needs of their family.

7. CONSIDER HAVING OUR COMPANY PERFORM A PRE-SALE HOME INSPECTION

Quest Home Inspectors LLC not only performs home inspections for Home Buyers; we also offer our same services for Home Sellers. If you are anticipating on selling your home in the near future, the decision on having a Pre-sale Home Inspection performed would be a very wise one! Having our company inspect your property prior to placing it on the market could potentially save you thousands of dollars! Why not find out what shape your house is in prior to selling it! The logic behind this is to correct any unforeseen problems so they will not hinder the sale of the home. More importantly, home sellers tend to receive total market value or more for their property instead of renegotiated offers due to defects found in the home by the home buyer!


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