When you place your house in the Summit NJ listings, you’ll have plenty of new tasks on your agenda. Packing, staging, painting and creating curb appeal will all go to the top of your “to-do” list. Before you get too busy, you should consider making an appointment with a home inspector.

Many people reading this will be thinking “Wait. Isn’t that something you do once you have a buyer and an offer?” In truth, most home inspections are done near the end of the selling process. Inspections are usually arranged by your Summit NJ real estate agent or by the buyer’s agent once a contract is in place. It’s a way for the buyers to protect themselves from problems that are not obvious to the untrained eye. A home inspection prevents a nasty surprise from popping up after the closing day has passed.

As a Summit NJ real estate seller, a pre-sale inspection can save you from a nasty surprise as well. An inspector will go over your home from top to bottom in great detail. He can show your where problems lie hidden. He can point out things that you may not have noticed over the years or issues that have arisen since you purchased the property. Older homes are particularly prone to problems that result from deferred maintenance and the ravages of time.

It’s better to know right away that the roof need to be replaced or the pipes fixed. Finding out when you’re almost through the selling process can be painful. You may have already made an offer on your next home by then and will be counting on a fast closing at the offered price. Learning that there’s an expensive repair to be made can delay or even kill your sale. Even smaller fixes give your buyer an opportunity to renegotiate and whittle down the final price.

After you’ve had your inspection, consider getting estimates from a trusted source on any trouble spots that have been noted. Count on your Summit NJ realtor for referrals to tradesmen and contractors. Even if you do not plan on having the repairs done yourself, it will give you a better understanding of how to price your home. It also gives you some leverage when a buyer wants to shave dollars off your asking price. You will have a much better negotiating position if you know for sure what the project will cost.