Selling your home is full of big decisions:
o What should I price the home at?
o What should I do to prepare for the sale?
o What am I liable for after the sale?
o How much should I invest before selling?
o Which realtor should I use?
In Southwest Florida towns, such as Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers and Cape Coral, there are thousands of homes for sale.
One of the items every buyer looks at is the roof. Making sure your roof is ready for sale will ensure you get the most money for your home and provide value to the new owner.
As the most highly rated roofing contractor in Southwest Florida, Kelly Roofing has assisted thousands of customers in selling their home by putting the roof in a condition of sale. Here are the steps you should take when selling your home:
Have a home inspection performed
It is highly likely that buyers will have their own inspector critique the home to ensure it’s move-in ready. Why not be ahead of the game and order your own? This will give you the ability to see in advance what is going to be brought up so you can knock out the items ahead of time in order to secure a quick sale.
Have a certified roofing contractor do an inspection
Home inspectors are not licensed to perform roof inspections. Kelly works for home inspectors all over Naples and Fort Myers, doing our own inspection to help with theirs. This will ensure your home’s sale will go through smoothly without surprises. And, just because we may find an issue, that doesn’t mean it is the seller’s responsibility. We always take into consideration what is in need of repair because it is actively an issue, versus what is considered a maintenance item and not the responsibility of the seller. Buyers often use the roof as a point of leverage for price negotiation, so ensure you’re ready to counter with your own inspection.
- Painting
- The new owner will likely put their personal touch on things, but a fresh coat of paint helps to keep the home’s value high.
- Landscaping
- A manicured appearance will help to elevate the home’s curb appeal. This is often seen as the biggest bang for your buck as it can easily net an additional $5,000 or more in sale value.
- Get it Clean
- Hiring a house cleaning team for $250.00 to go through the home before showing can net you 10x that amount in preserved home value. A clean home is much more appealing to buyers.
- Smell
- Your local home improvement store will sell automatic fragrance dispensers, often seen in public restrooms, with a selection of attractive scents. Put the dispenser on a spray every 15 minutes, then locate the dispenser facing the intake of your A/C’s air handler. This will ensure the home is smelling great all the time for those unexpected showings.
- Touch
- It’s a natural desire to stimulate the five senses by touching things. As prospective buyers come through, they will likely want to do the same. Having out soft throw blankets on the back of the couch, placemats on the table, fruit on the counter and plants at the entry will give possible buyers something to feel. They won’t remember what you said or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
- Hear
- Florida is desirable because of our wonderful weather, gorgeous beaches and tropical lifestyle. Remind possible buyers of why they are looking here by playing a little background music of tropical calypso, waves crashing, seagulls singing or wind blowing. This will remind them of why they are moving to our area and they will think of your home as theirs.
- Taste
- Stimulate the last of the five senses. Offer visitors something to drink or a fruit to eat. Lemonade is an excellent drink. If you have citrus trees on the property, make the drink from those fruits. Talk about the local farmer’s market, how fresh everything there is, how close it is and how friendly all of the staff are. If you’re showing the home and not going to be there, leave fruit on the counter with a note for visitors to help themselves.
- Pick a great realtor
- A good realtor isn’t just looking out for you, but for the best interest of all parties involved. A good sale is one where everyone feels the deal was fair, and the best realtors will represent your interests with integrity. We often see “as-is” sales come back to the seller because a known issue was swept under the carpet, leaving the buyer no choice but to sue for damages. Used homes aren’t perfect. Admit the items that are aged and let the buyer feel comfortable that they know what they are getting into. Use your realtor to help communicate the value of the home, even with a few blemishes. It will be worth it.
Ready to sell your house? Give us a call at Kelly Roofing, so we can help make your sale go as smoothly and profitably as possible.
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