Jennifer Darby Metzger and Ron Darby Broker co-owners of ERA Justin Realty offer ideas for sellers by ordering a pre-sale home inspection of their home. They, with their business associate Carol Darby and staff of Realtor agents stand ready to offer details. The firm has been a trusted name in real estate since 1950.

ERA JUSTIN REVIEWS INSPECTING THE HOME INSPECTOR, A CRITICAL LOOK

“Home sellers increasingly are ordering pre-sale home inspections to make reports available for buyers to review before they make an offer. By doing so, they hope to avoid renegotiations that can occur if the buyer's inspections reveal defects that weren't disclosed to them before they made an offer,” according to an Inman News report.

Ron Darby, ERA Justin Realty Broker co-owner offered, "Ask one of our real estate agents for a candid opinion of an inspector's reliability, an important aspect if you are doing a pre-sale inspection, as the inspector's credibility is important to your sale. If some of your agent's past clients used the inspector, call the inspector and ask for references. Check with friends who bought recently to see if they know the inspector, and if they would use him again."

The Inman News report continued, "Home inspections often recommend further inspections by other professionals, such as roofers, plumbers, electricians, drainage contractors or engineers. Few sellers complete all recommended further inspections before they market their homes. It's hard to tell from a written report whether a further inspector recommendation is in response to something questionable that the inspector discovered, or whether it's simply an attempt by the inspector to limit his liability.

Before you rely on a report, have a conversation with the inspector to find out if there are issues of serious concern that need further investigation. Inspectors will often be candid in a verbal conversation, but will attempt to minimize their liability with disclaimers in the written report. Also be aware that many home inspection reports include a statement that the report can't be relied on by other parties. This could mean the buyers if the report was ordered by the sellers. If you're concerned about this issue, talk directly to the inspector or consult with a knowledgeable real estate attorney to determine the extent of the inspector's liability to you for overlooked defects.

In competitive markets, where overbidding is the norm, many buyers choose to rely on the sellers reports and forego an inspection contingency. This may not be risky if the sellers have provided current and complete reports from reputable inspectors and the buyers have a wealth of home owning experience. Experienced home buyers have an advantage because they can often assess how much it will cost to repair defects even if the sellers don't provide estimates. Buyers who don't fall into this category should include an inspection contingency in their offer. There's a strategy that could improve your chances even if you end up competing with buyers who choose to waive their right to an inspection contingency. You can include an inspection contingency in your purchase offer, but also include a provision that you will pay up to a certain amount to correct defects that are uncovered that were previously unknown. This way the seller knows that you are a sincere buyer who won't back out due to minor defects that might be uncovered during your inspections.”

“All can be confirmed through Buyer's and Seller's attorneys at the inception of a transaction. There is a difference in real estate companies. We ask Buyers and Sellers to compare. We believe that in order to exceed expectations of what ERA Justin Realty is about, we don’t offer just real estate basics, we try to be as comprehensive as possible. In that way, we know that our Buyers and Sellers will hold us all in the highest regard,” added company Broker co-owner Jennifer Darby Metzger.

ERA Justin Realty received the prestigious ERA world-wide 2003 through 2012 ‘Commitment to Excellence Award,' one of very few from ERA real estate brokers and agents nearing 30,000. Only outstanding business entities are honored and receive it. ERA Justin Realty has been your trusted name in real estate since 1950.

For more information on real estate topics, consumers can reach the ERA Justin Realty sales team at either of their two Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue or 57 Park Avenue. By phone at (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD. Additional real estate information is also available at the firms 1000's of homes websites at www.ERAJustin.com and www.ERAJustinRealty.com.

2013 Recommended Work Before Selling

ERA Justin Realtor salesperson Denise Leonessa shares valuable information for 2013 sellers about to put their home on the market. Denise, coming from a salesperson position from another area brokerage is active with buyers and sellers at ERA Justin Realty.

 

ERA Justin's Denise Leonessa Reports On 2013 Recommended Work Before Selling

Sellers often order pre-sale inspection reports. This inevitably raises the question of how much, if any, of the recommended work should be done before selling.  Ideally, any defect that would be hazardous to agents and buyers who preview the property during the sale process should be corrected. An example is a trip hazard that might cause someone to fall. In addition, to maximize your return from the sale, you should repair defects that adversely affect how the property looks.

Denise Leonessa, an ERA Justin Realtor salesperson who transferred from her position at Prudential Professionals  says, “First impressions are important. So, if the fence or entry porch is deteriorating and look shabby, repair them. If the exterior paint is peeling, repaint. You get positive results when you repair a defect and improve appearance by doing so.  For example, let's say that the wood pest (also known as termite) inspector finds damage under the linoleum in a bathroom. If the linoleum is worn and outdated, you'll do better on the sale if you replace the floor covering with a new, trendier one. In the course of doing this the damage can be repaired. The result is that the house shows better and a defect is eliminated--two benefits for the price of one.

You certainly can't be expected to rebuild your home in order to sell it. Nor is this a sensible thing to do economically. As an example, take a house that had a deck that looked okay but wasn't safe. There was extensive damage scattered throughout the deck. The only way to repair the deck was to replace it. It would be difficult to get the job done in the timeframe in which the seller wanted to sell.  The deck was old and no longer met current code requirements. It would have had to be redesigned. So the seller decided to leave the deck as it was and disclose that the deck needed to be replaced. The future owners could have the new deck designed to meet their needs at a later date.

When structural elements are in need of repair and you haven't the time or money to repair them, it's a good idea to get repair estimates and make these estimates available to prospective buyers before they make an offer. This way, you're in control of the process and can find reliable contractors or engineers who will give you reasonable and not exorbitant estimates.

It can be unsettling to a buyer to discover that the roof is in poor condition or the foundation needs work. Most buyers will have no idea how much it will cost to make repairs. Fear of the unknown makes people anxious, which isn't a good frame of mind for someone who's trying to decide whether to buy your home.

As reported in Inman News, a pre-sale home inspector of an Oakland, Calif., home recommended that an engineer be consulted about a foundation that had settled. The seller hired an engineer who made a proposal for the repair. The cost was $20,000--not an insignificant number. But, it wasn't $40,000 or $50,000 as an inexperienced buyer might imagine.  If you choose not to make major repairs before selling, this should be reflected in your list price, especially if you have competition from other sellers.

Leonessa concluded, “Your trusted name in real estate since 1950, ERA Justin Realty lives by the words, 'There is a difference in real estate companies.'  Because of our daily priorities, we proudly received the prestigious ERA world-wide ‘Commitment to Excellence Award’, one of 14 premier ERA real estate firms from nearly 2,600 ERA offices. For these reasons ERA Justin Realty should be your buying and selling Realtor of choice.” 

All of the ERA Justin Realty full service sales professionals can be reached at either of their two Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue and 57 Park Avenue.  By office phone (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD.  Additional cutting-edge real estate technology information awaits you at www.ERAJustin.com and www.ERAJustinRealty.com.