Tips For Boosting Credit Scores
- Check your credit report for errors. If there are erroneous items, write to the credit reporting company and have those items removed.
- Close unused credit card accounts, but only if they were opened recently.
- Leave old credit accounts open, even if you’re not using them, because part of your score is based on how long you’ve had credit.
- Apply for credit only when necessary. New credit applications can lower your score.
- Pay your bills on time, every time!
The Day of the Home Inspection
Your house has been sold, and like most buyers today, they have scheduled a home inspection, which you agreed to in the purchase contract. Are you worried about the results? If your home is in good condition and you have maintained it over the years, there is probably no problem other than some very minor repairs.
Don’t be too concerned about the inspection itself. Although home inspections are relatively new, in most places sellers have lived with pest inspections for decades. After a home inspection or a pest inspection, there may be some repairs or adjustments that must be made before the closing of the sale. Here are a few suggestions about how to handle the day of the inspection:
- You do not need to stay. Why not let your real estate agent stand in for you? They are more familiar than any owner with the home inspection process and can act as your representative. Like showing the home to prospective buyers, the emotional input of the seller is not an asset.
- Relax. If you do stay, treat the inspector as a professional. The home inspector is not your adversary. The professional inspector isn’t there to pick at every aspect of your home. Their job is to offer the buyer a fair assessment of the condition of the property. Assume that the thorough inspection will take some time. About tow hours is an average. If you own an older home, the inspection might take even longer.
- If the inspector asks questions, provide answers for everything that you can document. The age of the roof or the furnace can be proved if you have the dated receipts. Check your records before you answer. If you have documentation, provide a copy of it. A question about any condition that existed when you purchased the home should be answered with that explanation. Don’t guess. Make sure that the inspector has ready access to every part of the house – the attic, the basement, and the crawl space.
- Do not argue with any comments about the home that the inspector might make. Inspectors are just doing a job and do not need any input from argumentative or defensive home sellers or agents. There is plenty of time to explain and negotiate with the buyer and the buyer’s agent after you receive and review your copy of the inspector’s report.
- Don’t delay any repairs. If you agreed to make any repairs before the sale is closed, make them as soon as possible. The buyer may have the inspector look again at any repairs that were recommended. Any delays of the re-inspection can delay the close of the transaction.
Showing Your Home
When you list your home for sale, your agent will go over a short list of ways that you, the owner, can help market your home. Most of these have to do with the appearance of the home and yard to make the property as nice looking as possible to any prospective buyer.
One of the most important on the list is not pertaining to the physical property, but to you. When agents show the property, make yourself scarce – get out of the way and let them do their job. In actuality, the owner is not any help to the agent. Here are a few reasons why:
- You make the buyer uncomfortable. If you can recall how you felt when you were shopping for the home before you bought it, think about it. If the owner was there, you may have felt somewhat intimidated or reluctant to spend much time in the home. When it is only the agent and the buyers, the buyers are relaxed and will give your home their full attention and consideration. If the buyer has a minor objection to the home, they often will not voice it in front of the seller and may end up purchasing another home.
- The buyer makes you uncomfortable. Sellers are always anxious. They are unsure of the price and the length of time it has take or will take to sell. Buyers are always critical even if they instantly like the home. There is no need to hear their criticisms of the color scheme or their redecorating plans. An experienced agent can detect some of these comments as “closing” signs, meaning they have decided on this home.
- Sellers might say the wrong thing. Have you had a little disagreement with a neighbor? You might find yourself telling the buyer. Is the swimming pool too expensive to maintain in your opinion? This buyer might have a swimming pool like yours at the top of his “want” list. Schools close by? Maybe they have no children. Anything you say might be a “deal killer”. Discussing your motivation for selling can give them a reason to make a low offer.
- Your agent will sell your home quicker. Agents want to show the home when you’re not there. This is the same whether it is a weekend open house or a private showing. The one-on-one frank conversations that agents can have with prospective buyers just cannot happen in front of the seller. When an agent calls ahead for an appointment to show the home at a certain time, it is your signal to get out. This is the main reason for the call.