Make A Checklist When Selling Your Home

Over the years, whenever I sell a home I use a checklist to jog my memory so I can remember some necessary things

. Take it from me, this stuff is important!

1. I realize that this first tip might sound a little odd, but it is something I learned the hard way and wouldn't want you to have similar bad experiences. When you are walking through the home before you purchase it, and again before you put it on the market to resell it or lease it, be sure to open every drawer, cabinet and cupboard door in every room before you show it to anyone. You can probably imagine what can be found in homes from time to time, and I don't simply mean bothersome pests like insects or rodents. If you use your imagination you'll understand that being on the lookout for strange things that previous residents may have overlooked can save you the possibility of considerable embarrassment. I'll just let you use your imagination at this point, and whatever you can imagine has probably been found by a investors like me. One thing you might find is cash, but most things are much less valuable, to put it politely. Just be sure you check every storage area throughout the home and garage in order to avoid possible embarrassment for yourself and other people.

2. This second tip is regarding the public utilities. Be sure you call the water, gas and electric companies to be absolutely certain that ownership of the home been transferred into your personal or corporate name. Make sure you do this before you schedule remodeling work or before showing possible tenants or buyers around the home. I won't soon forget the time I agreed to pay a demolition crew with their own power tools and heavy equipment, and discovered too late that there was no electricity available that day on the property. Now you can be sure there is a place on my checklist to keep track of the date each utility service is scheduled to transfer to my name. That particular day with no electricity turned out to be an expensive lesson for me.

3. And as it turns out, my third tip also involves utilities. There is a public service campaign called - Call Before You Dig. Whenever I sell a home, if I have called that service to locate underground water, sewer, gas , cable or electric lines for any reason , I always provide the buyer with any information I acquired. You can reach Call Before You Dig by dialing 811 in most cities on your cell phone. Residents can get utility lines marked prior to any excavation. This service can save you and your neighbors a lot of trouble, and take it from me, it's worth taking a little extra time to be safe and not sorry.

4. And finally, my last tip is of those simple things that is easily overlooked, be sure you turn on every faucet, indoors and outdoors, and don't forget the washer and dryer hookups, wherever they are located. Let them run, and even better, turn on more than one faucet at the same time and see what happens to the water pressure. If any water is rusty or odd-smelling have it checked by a plumber. And don't forget the water heater - be sure it's not leaking or corroded. You can ask for a billing history for the past year to make sure the house shows no excessive water use, which can result from underground leaks.

Get started with my checklist, then add to it and develop your own if you are going to be buying and selling homes. My brief tips will get you started if you're going to sell a home.

by: Leo Kingston

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