Top Home Maintenance Tips For Spring 2012

10 Maintenance Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale in the Spring!

Staging Tip #19 on our list of Staging Tips to Make Your Home Show Ready is to have your home professionally inspected before you put it on the market!  Spring has sprung and the weather is warm but the longer daylight will start to highlight those gutters full of leaves, dingy looking front steps and dead plants in flower beds.  It’s time to refresh your home from the dog days of winter and start with our Top 10 Maintenance Tips To Get Your Home in Show Ready Condition To Sell for the spring season!

1.) Check your yard for any low areas and make sure these are filled in properly with good, compacted soil.  When it starts to rain especially in the spring these areas will fill with water and cause flooding in your yard.  One thing you want to avoid come summer is pools of water around your home begging to be infested by mosquitoes or other insects!

2.) The exterior of your home needs to show its best when staging the exterior and creating attractive curb appeal is vital.  Check for any loose or leaky gutters that could lead to poor draining or leaks into attics or basements.  Also, make sure your gutters are professionally cleaned and free of debris so your house sparkles!

3.)  Check all your exterior windows for dead or rotted wood and make sure is replaced, painted and sealed before it can result in further damage and who knows what else starts making its way in through your windows into your home!

4.) Have the flue of your chimney cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep to be sure there are no signs of damage.

5.) Inspect all concrete slabs -your front porch or driveway for example to make sure no cracking or separating occurring.  Make sure any large cracking areas are properly pressure washed, filled in and sealed.  When staging the exterior of your home, you want buyers to feel confident they are going to view a well kept home.  If they see an overgrown lawn, gutters full of leaves and cracks up the front steps then they may not have a good feeling about viewing the inside of the home!

6.)  Check all your hose faucets and garden hoses for any freeze damage or dry rot build up and that water is properly flowing out at a consistent rate.

7.) According to home inspectors they say if you store firewood near your home, it needs to be at least 18 inches off the ground and at least 2 feet away from the property.

8.) When staging your home for sale it is a good idea to make sure your air condition and heating units are working at their full potential.  Buyers don’t want to come into a home where the AC is not working and it is 90 degrees outside!  It is best to hire a qualified heating and air contractor who can inspect and make sure the units are cleaned regularly and running efficiently!

9.)  Have an inspection done of your roof and to make sure your roof shingles aren’t cracked, buckling or loose as they may need replacing.  If your roof is aging it may be time to budget in a new roof replacement.  Don’t forget to have a professional roofer check flashing around skylights, plumbing vents and chimneys to be sure all is in tact.

10.) Is your lawnmower and other gas or battery powdered equipment in tip top shape because once again curb appeal is important.  Make sure they are cleaned and ready to maintain your yard in an easy fashion!

A home inspectionbefore listing a home for sale is the best way to knock out any major items that may come up with potential home buyers and cause a reason for a low bid offer.  Feel free to to print out this maintenance checklist when getting ready to sell your home!