Important Spring Maintenance Tips for Your Home Sellers

Spring is the busiest real estate season and home sellers looking to sell their homes should not wait for flowers to bloom before they start getting things ready. They should ensure their homes appeal to buyers from the word go. Well-maintained homes can help sellers to get their asking price or a closer figure when the building inspection happens. Here are some important spring maintenance tips you should share with homeowners.

Clear Away the Clutter

Staged and open houses never have stacks of unread magazines, loosely hanging artwork, or scattered toys. This is what your clients’ homes should look like. Every home has clutter, but no buyer wants to see it. They want to see a dream version of the house they intend to buy. Homeowners with homes on the market should keep them as neat as possible. They should clear the shelves and surfaces, remove family photos, and store kitchen appliances.

Conduct Roof Repairs

Harsh winter storms can wreak havoc on roofs hence homeowners must inspect their roofs before anything else. They can also hire roofing inspectors to do the job if they are not up to it. Those inspecting their roofs should look for loose or missing shingles and examine chimneys, vent caps, flue pipes, and any place where roofs and walls intersect. If the roof is damaged in many areas, they should consider having it redone.

Check Gates and Fences

Groundwater saturation can easily damage fence posts. Homeowners must check fence posts by wiggling them to see if they are solidly embedded. They should also examine their gates’ hinges as these normally take the brunt of usage. Hinges’ grease joints can be fixed with lubricant.

Examine Gutters and Downspouts

Things homeowners should look for include loose fasteners and sags in the gutter run. They should also check for water stains as these may indicate that joints are leaking. They should unclog leader pipes and flush out downspouts. Leader pipes should extend at least 5 feet to drive water away from the foundation. Homeowners must also clear their gutters of leaves and debris to prepare their homes for spring and summer rains.

Fix Cracked Pavement

Pavement cracks that are nipped in the bud prevent weeds from taking up residence. Many local hardware stores sell fillers and patching materials for concrete and asphalt surfaces. However, these may not fix pavements that have ruptured as a result of frost heaving. Such cases require professionals to pave new surfaces over stabilized soil.

Chop Down Weak Trees

If your clients have trees in their compounds, advise them to check the trees for broken branches, bending branches, or ‘sun scalded’ trunks. Weak trees should be chopped down and those that are high should be left to professionals.

Clean Air Conditioner/Heater System

Tell homeowners to clear their air conditioners of leaves and debris using garden hoses, vent brushes, and power blowers or the brush attachments of their vacuum cleaners. Those with many trees and plants in their yards should cover the condenser coils with fiberglass mesh to capture leaves and pollen. Grilles and registers should be vacuumed to ensure good airflow and furnace filters should be changed regularly.

Fix Foundation Cracks

Not all cracks in foundation walls are a cause for alarm. Others are the result of minor settling or concrete curing. Homeowners should mark these with tape and call structural engineers to examine them. If they are minor, they can be filled via an epoxy-injection system.

• Fix holes in foundation walls and siding with expandable foam
• Clear the area of leaves which become a nesting place for rodents
• Check for shed wings or pellet-shaped droppings from termites
• Examine whether the ground around the foundation inclines away from the house

This season ensure your clients review these helpful spring maintenance tips before putting their home up for sale.

For more helpful tips for your clients look to the iHOUSE blog for more helpful tips.