Home Repairs

Prior to putting the house on the market, we consulted the Realtor® we later used as our agent.  His initial scrutiny told us it would be wise to have a pre-inspection done.  He recommended someone and we called him to come and take a look at things.

We had ideas about what needed to be fixed.  We’d done our best in repairs and remodel, but we were by no means experts.   At best we were bumbling novices.  Not surprisingly, the inspector found a lot more wrong with the place than we’d anticipated.

When he handed us the final report and we read through it, we saw things we thought he′d nail us on went unnoticed.  And stuff we never noticed got big check marks.

In order to get the house in tiptop shape before sticking a sign in the front lawn, we began making the necessary repairs.

Some seemed ridiculous, some excessive, but for the most part, we were able to accomplish a majority of the tasks before it went on the market.

Main Bathroom - vanity in master bath the same style only larger

Water Woes…

One which eluded us during our early repair days, and later became a major concern for the buyers, was the low water pressure in the sink of the master bathroom.

It didn′t make sense.  Granted, there wasn′t much water pressure in the entire house.  But the sink in the master bathroom had reduced to a trickle.

The buyers were adamant this be repaired before they took ownership.  And who could blame them.  We’d suffered with it for a-year-and-a-half, but that didn′t mean they had to.

Andy began researching plumbers online.  I began researching.

I typed “low pressure faucet” into Google and came up with a couple of ideas.  Inexpensive ideas.  Cool.

Andy helped me remove the aerator tip of the faucet and we immediately saw the source of our problem.  Sand, sediment, and debris had settled inside.

As per the instructions, we soaked the tiny part in warm, white vinegar.  Crud started coming out of it at an alarming rate.  Gross.  Good thing we didn′t use that sink for drinking water!

We then took a small straight pin to poke out any remaining debris.

After several hours of soaking and poking, we reassembled the faucet and … Voila!   The water ran freely.  After 18 months of nothing more than a dribble to wash my face with, we had free flowing water.  And the best part?  It didn′t cost a thing!  Who doesn′t have a bottle of white vinegar sitting in their cupboard?

The Big Stuff

Our buyers obtained an FHA loan, which meant an FHA inspection was on the horizon.

We sat on pins and needles the day the inspector came to the house as we drove around wasting time.  We couldn’t be present during the inspection.  However, the future owners and their parents did show up for the fine-toothed comb examination.

The radon test had gone well.  We passed.  But we had been warned about several things the FHA inspector would focus his attention on.

One was the outdated electrical panel.  And as we expected, it needed to be replaced before the buyers could move in.   All we saw ahead of us was dollar signs.

Andy called several electricians.  The guesstimates scared us.  Money was tight and we didn′t know how we’d manage the cost.

I phoned a friend and he knew someone.  The electrician came over, checked out the problem, and gave us a price far below what the other electricians had quoted.   We blew out a sigh of relief.

Our friend of a friend did the job when he said he would and he actually charged us less than he′d quoted.  We were thrilled.

Lesson learned:  Don’t be afraid to get recommendations from trusted sources.

Compromises

As with any negotiation, we decided what we were willing to repair and what we weren′t.   There was a window seal they wanted us to fix.   It was outside our budget and wasn′t a deal breaker, so we chose not to have it done.

That′s the reality in the end:  What has to be done to finalize the sale.

Now, I′m not suggesting you try to cheat someone or not do necessary repairs.   You want your reputation to still be intact once you walk away from the property.  But there is a fine art to negotiations.  Plan a budget.  Figure out what will satisfy the prospective buyers.  Take care of those things and compromise on the rest.

Both you and the buyer will come out ahead.

Happy Transformation,

Shawn

Advertisement