Here’s why you absolutely should get a pre-sale home inspection before listing your home.
 

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Getting a pre-sale home inspection is the most important thing you can do before listing your property for sale. 


As the broker and owner of The JRS Realty Group, I’m a huge proponent of preparation. When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable. That’s why prior to one of my clients listing their home, I love to discuss the importance of pre-sale home inspections. Our pre-sale home inspection includes the home inspection itself, a termite inspection, and a radon inspection. If your property is serviced by well water or an on-site septic system, we’ll inspect those items as well. 

A pre-sale home inspection allows you to see any issues before potential buyers do. This is critical because most deals fall through ...

Some areas are more important than others when prepping your home for the market. 
 

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If you’re looking to upgrade your home so it sells for top dollar after you list it, here are five areas to focus on:


1. Curb appeal. When a potential buyer drives up to your home, their first impression of it happens from the outside. What do your landscaping, trees, front door, siding, etc., look like? Is everything in order?


2. The front door. What does your front door look like? Is it old and dilapidated? People enter your home through the front door, so make sure yours is freshly painted. If you have to replace it, go ahead and do so. If you don’t want to replace it, you can also try replacing the hardware (the knob, lock, kick plate, etc.) so everything looks new. 

"When a potential buyer drives up to your home, their first impress ...

Here’s a quick five-step guide to prepare your home for autumn.
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Now that it’s summer, you can start thinking about how to prep your home for the next season. Here’s a five-step fall maintenance checklist for your home:

1. Call a qualified HVAC contractor to service your unit. Make sure they inspect it so that when you turn the heat on, everything is operational and efficient. 

2. Turn off outside hose bibs. Any outside hose bibs left on will be the first things to burst when the temperature drops below freezing. Even if you have frost-free hose bibs, I still recommend turning the water off from the inside first, opening the hose bibs on the outside, and making sure all of the water is drained from the connecting pipes. A burst pipe will cost you thousands of dollars to repair. Also, disconnect the hoses from the hose bibs, drain the w ...

Here are the two tips to remember to make your offer stand out.
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We’re in a very competitive market for buyers, so here are a couple of tips to remember if you want to make your offer stand out.


First, come in at or above asking price. You may also want to include a price escalation clause. This is especially important in a multiple-offer situation. An escalation clause specifies how high you’re willing to go on price to beat the other buyer(s) while also specifying the price you’re not willing to exceed. I recommend escalating your price to $500 or $1,000 above the next highest offer. 

"Your offer always looks better when the contingencies have fewer days attached to them."



Second, shorten your contingencies. There are several contingencies in an offer, but the mortgage and appraisal contingencies are the most important ones ...

Here’s what you need to know before deciding whether an HOA is right for you.
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Is a homeowners or condominium association right for you?


The purpose of a homeowners association (HOA) is to maintain a clean, cohesive, law-abiding community. So, are you the type of homeowner who prefers to follow rules and regulations, or would you like the freedom to do what you want with your property?


The reason most people buy in an HOA is that it relieves some of the responsibility of homeownership (exterior building maintenance, landscaping, etc.). Whether you’re buying in a homeowners or condominium association, make sure you review its rules and regulations to the letter. We recommend having your Realtor or an attorney review them with you.



An important question you must ask your homeowners association is how solvent they are. In other words, ho ...