The last 12 months have been a pretty rough time to be selling a home. Your home may have even been on the market for a period of time longer than you ever thought possible. But now you’ve gotten a good offer that you have accepted. This is a key time in any home sale. You must now get your home to pass the home inspection. I want to give you a list of 10 simple repairs you can do to prepare your home as well as a few things to do on the day of the inspection.
10 simple repairs to do before the home inspection:
1. Prune vegetation away from the house.
2. Clean the gutters.
3. Replace or clean any dirty furnace filters.
4. Install missing covers on electrical switches, outlets, and junction boxes.
5. Replace all smoke alarms installed before January 1, 2002 to comply with current standards.
6. Replace burned out light bulbs.
7. Pull soil 6″ away from the siding, basement windows, foundation vents, and decks.
8. Install 6mil. black, plastic vapor barrier in the crawlspace over exposed soil.
9. Install earthquake straps on the water heater.
10. Repair leaking faucets.
On the day of the inspection:
1. Remove any belongings that block access to the furnace, water heater, electrical panel, attic and crawl spaces so the inspector may get to these areas.
2. Verify the gas, water, and electricity are on, even in vacant homes.
3. Make sure all gas pilot lights are lit.
4. Make sure that all appliances normally operated by you can be tested as needed.
It is normal to feel a bit stressed when your home is inspected, but you can greatly increase a positive outcome on the inspection if you do a little prior planning. And a good home inspection directly affects your ability to maximize the proceeds that you will receive from the sale of your home. It is worth the time, effort, and a few dollars that it takes to get your home ready.
While today I am posting our regular list of the Lake Oswego Open Houses as advertised in the RMLS, I want to take a moment to discuss open houses in general. Open houses are probably one area in which Realtors really differ on their opinions. I have known agents who absolutely refuse to do them. One man in particular had a sign he took to listing appointments that had the words “Open House” with a big red circle and a diagonal line across the words. He was making it very clear that there was no way he would ever do an open house. I happen to have the exact opposite opinion. I happen to think that they work. Sure, you get the neighbors and the “Lookie Lou’s”, but you also get lots of great exposure to a property that needs to be sold. I think the key is to advertise the open house so that a good percentage of the people who show up are real buyers who know the price and size of the property before they get there. I hold homes open pretty much every Sunday. I believe that on average I sell at least one listing a year off of my open houses. In fact, I sold a house in Lake Oswego about 3 weeks ago as a result of my open house. So I think that open houses do have value.
Out of state and wondering what you can expect for weather in Lake Oswego after your big move? Planning your house-hunting trip and wondering what you can expect? I’ve added a few tidbits of information for you below to help give a better picture of life in Lake Oswego… weather-wise.
This is a photo that you really never want to see, but when this sort of thing happens, it is soooooo much better to have it happen before the sale than after. This photo was taken of a home that I have currently got in escrow. The older home was recently remodeled, including a new sewer line from the house to the street. That should be enough and there’s no need for a sewer scope, right? NOT! In the course of the home inspection the buyer did have a sewer scope and a chunk of concrete was found to be blocking the line. In the course of the remodel, a stray piece of concrete had somehow found its way into the line. Who would have known without the sewer scope? And how irritating would it have been to move into a gorgeous home that was fully remodeled just to have the sewer back up immediately? This is a good lesson for one and all. Always get a sewer scope!
Spring is traditionally the strongest time of year to sell your home. If you want to sell, you need to get your home ready. You want to win the beauty pageant. The place to start, before you list your home for sale, is with proper home staging. The way you live in your home and the way you sell your home are two different things. It does add a layer of care to your already busy life, but it will payoff when you sell by getting your home sold more quickly and by helping you to get the best price possible.
At the top of this article is a photo of my listing in Mt. Park. I want you to compare that photo to the one that you find to the right. Can you see the big improvement? The photo to the right is how this room used to look. This was not a home with a problem of clutter. This was a house that needed to show case the homes features. The home owner moved the living room furniture to the other end of the room in order to showcase the wonderful windows. Where a TV cabinet had blocked windows, now what you see is light and sunshine. In addition, the owner replaced several windows that had broken seals. Now when you walk in, you step back and feel the wow factor. That is what sells a house.
It’s time to showcase another of Lake Oswego’s wonderful neighborhoods, Westridge. Westridge is not very large. According to 
Second, it has two terrific parks. Cooks Butte Park is on the Eastern edge of Westridge. It’s 42 acres of natural area. It’s what is called a passive park. In other words, it is left quite natural with soft-surface trails for hiking, but not a lot of development such as picnic structures or play grounds. It is best enjoyed for the trees, the trails, and the views. The top of the park has an elevation of 718′. It’s a wonderful spot to hike up to and then sit and watch the sunset. The other park is Westridge Park. It’s adjacent to Westridge Elementary School. It’s 2.2 acres and has a playground, a volleyball area, and a soccer/little league field. This is where you take the kids to burn off some energy and to enjoy a fine, sunny afternoon.
Housing in Westridge is all single family homes. There are no condominiums or apartment buildings. The pricing of what is currently for sale goes from a low of $498,500 for a 2670 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, to a high of $899,900 for a 3243 square foot home also with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. I would say that the most basic criteria for the variation in pricing is whether the home has been updated or not. The neighborhood was mostly built in the 1970’s and 1980’s. So if the house still has original kitchen, baths, woodwork and windows, it is just not going to be worth as much as a house that is
I want to point out a house that Linda and I visited on Broker’s tour on May 5th, 9 Westminster Dr. This home is an excellent example of great value. Built in 1976, it has been extensively updated. The kitchen and baths are all recent. There is new paint and flooring. The house has 3814 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. Probably the most distinguishing feature is a wonderful sunroom that allows you to sit and enjoy the garden all year round. The landscaping is exceptional. There is extensive brick work in patios and outdoor entertaining areas. The yard has sprinklers and it looks to me as though a professional was involved in the layout. It is really wonderful. Priced at just $597,000 it is a stand out for value. I tell people that in this market it is both a beauty pageant and a price war. I think this house wins in both categories.