If you have been left with the task of selling your parent's hours or an inherited house, and you aren't really sure what condition the house is in structurally, there are some things that you can do to find out more information. Before you list the house, you want to make sure that it's a property that people will want to buy, and that the buyers aren't going to want you to fix several different things. Here are some of the things that you can do to prepare in advance.
Get an Inspection
Anyone that is interested in purchasing the home will get their own home inspection. Get ahead of the buyers and have your own home inspection completed, to see where all of the problems with the house are.
With your own inspection, you can decide what you want to spend the money to fix, and what you aren't willing to pay for. The inspector can also tell you what other issues you may have with the age of the home, as well as with the location. This could include issues like radon, lead, and more. The inspectors will inspect everything from the roof and electrical, to the appliances and fireplace.
Estimate Investment Costs with Sales Projection
You will have to determine how much money you want to stick into the house, with what you could sell it for. You don't want to put in money that you won't get back, or waste money from the estate (if that is relevant). Instead, get estimates for the items that must be fixed, or that can be fixed to add value to the home. This way, you are prepared to negotiate with the sellers or to set the house at a price with the changes that need to be made in consideration.
Once you find out what is wrong with the house in the inspection, you may decide that you just want to sell the house as-is and get rid of it quickly. If you think that the few flaws the house has are easy to fix and that potential buyers won't be bothered by them, then list the house for the max price that you think you can get and go from there. You want to get the most money you can out of the property, and when you already know what the inspection is going to reveal, you won't have to worry about any surprises popping up.
Contact a company like Technihouse Inspections Inc. today to learn more.