March 2022 - American Home Inspection Services, LLC.

5 Tips to Help Sell Your House

by mwonfor | Mar 31, 2022 | Community, Homeowners

Selling a home involves a lot of planning and decision-making, which can sometimes make it hard to know where to start. Here are five tips to sell your house quickly and at an excellent price.

Order a Pre-Listing Inspection

Before putting your home on the market, order a pre-listing inspection. This type of inspection typically costs a few hundred dollars, but it is a wise investment. A professional home inspection reveals underlying issues that may affect your chances of selling the house. If you are not aware of these issues, you cannot make repairs or price the home accordingly. Major problems with a property may deter buyers after they tour the house and order an inspection.

Hire a Professional Realtor to Sell Your House

Selling a house can be complicated, especially if you haven’t done it before. This is why it is helpful to hire a real estate agent whose track record of sales demonstrates they have the knowledge and training to market a property while representing the seller’s best interests. Make sure your agent is familiar with your neighborhood and understands the local housing market.

The real estate agent lists the home, does most of the paperwork, reviews the buyer’s offers, communicates with the buyer’s agent, and handles the negotiations and closing details.

Choose the Best Time

The best times to sell your house are summer and spring since families want to move before the school year begins, and the nice weather makes home inspections and viewings easier. However, buyers can be more selective during these seasons due to increased inventory. Research how to sell your house during different seasons, and you’ll be prepared for all weather conditions.

Talk with your agent about when you prefer to sell and determine the best time to list the property.

How to Sell Your House: Price the Property

Pricing your home is a critical step that requires research of current real estate trends. Gain insight into what your home is worth by comparing the prices of other similar houses in your neighborhood. Taking into account the results of the pre-listing inspection, work with your agent to price the home. The better condition your home is in, the more offers you will get, and the easier it is to negotiate the price. However, the asking price must be fair and accurate.

The Drawbacks of Selling Your House on Your Own

In a “For Sale by Owner”(FSBO) listing, the owner supervises and manages all parts of the transaction. You will not have to pay a listing agent’s commission since you are doing the work yourself. As the seller, you determine the asking price, handle the marketing, negotiate with buyers, and navigate the contracts and paperwork on your own. Without professional representation, you risk your home sitting on the market and getting less favorable offers.

American Home Inspection Services provides inspections to customers in Southeast Michigan. Contact us to schedule our services.

5 Ideas for Small Kitchens

by mwonfor | Mar 4, 2022 | Community, Home Maintenance

Having a small kitchen doesn’t mean sacrificing style or functionality. If you’re unsure how to make the most of your tiny kitchen, here are some suggestions. There are many clever ways to manage your compact food preparation area, with space-saving techniques and innovative design ideas for small kitchens.

5 Space-Saving Ideas for Small Kitchens

These five space-saving hacks will get you started creating a more functional kitchen that looks trendy and is an enjoyable space to prepare your meals.

Use More Wall Space

While you may be limited to the number of cabinets and drawers you can have, you most likely have lots of empty wall space where you can store your utensils. One of the most accessible ideas for small kitchens is to mount hooks on the wall where you can hang your bulky pots and pans. This hack could save you a whole cabinet’s worth of space and make your cooking tools much easier to access, too.

Install an Island

You may assume a stylish kitchen island is not an option when you have a tiny kitchen, but this is not necessarily the case. Kitchen islands are a very efficient space storage system and double up as a breakfast bar. If you have no space for a dishwasher along the walls, run power and plumbing to your kitchen island and install one there.

Remove the Kitchen’s Door

If your kitchen is a separate room, it may feel claustrophobic being a space so small. However, you don’t have to knock down the walls to solve this problem. Instead, you might find that simply removing the door is enough to open the room up and give it a more spacious feel.

Use Larger Floor Tiles

Many people assume that small tiles work better in compact rooms, but this is not the case. Instead, larger tiles give an illusion of a bigger space, plus there are fewer grout joints to clean. Therefore, we suggest choosing large tile size for smaller kitchens.

Use Collapsible Furniture in Small Kitchens

One of the most efficient ideas for small kitchens is to use collapsible furniture. While this might not sound like the most stylish idea, nowadays, there are tons of trendy collapsible tables that can help you maximize the use of your space.

This type of furniture is super beneficial for small kitchens that double up as dining rooms. If you don’t have the space to have a dining table out at all times, an extendable one will allow you to fold it down when it’s not needed.