When it comes time to sell a house, there are some plumbing issues and opportunities that you will want to take into account early in the process. Sometimes there are big surprises that you will not want to fix in a rush, other times there are small things you can do to improve your home’s curb appeal. Here are five tips, each of which can be applied to other areas as well.
- Hot Water Tank – If you are thinking about selling and you have an old hot water tank, now may be a good time to upgrade that water tank for a newer, larger, more energy efficient model. If you have time you can plan it out, be more cost effective, and get the perfect unit. Having a new, quick heating, power saving hot water tank can be a great talking point when selling the home. Everyone wants to save money and have an abundance of hot water.
- Septic Tank – No one who buys a home is looking forward to doing maintenance right after moving in. Everything that you can do to push extra work down the road for buyers will improve your curb appeal. If you have a septic tank, make sure to have it drained and serviced so you can tell prospective buyers that it will be a long time before they should have to even think about it.
- Dye Test – Many municipalities are requiring dye tests before you can sell a home. If your sewer line has leaks, cracks, or other issues then you may be required to replace your sewer line. This is not a process you want to think about when it’s time to sell. Thankfully, trenchless pipelining can cut the cost way down and keep you from having to dig up that beautiful lawn that adds curb appeal to your home. Do your dye test early and make sure you have time to make any needed repairs before trying to get the home on the market.
- Garbage Disposal – These drain mounted food grinders are notoriously hard on plumbing, but many appreciate the convenience they provide. If your home has one, make sure to have the appliance and the pipe serviced and possibly replaced as part of your pre-sale check list. Again, any inexpensive burden you can remove from the buyer becomes a talking point and a selling point. A few dollars here and there may help you court potential buyers, which can help you sell your home for what it is worth and sometimes even driving up your selling price.
- Gas Fireplace – Just like every hotel makes sure to have a pool so they can mention it in their advertisements, adding a few small amenities can give you lots of great things to promote about the house to get people’s attention. A gas fireplace could be the thing that wins the heart of the right buyer and often they are not that expensive to install.
So, if you are thinking about selling your home, remember the key things you want to do before trying to put it on the market.
- Make sure the home meets all of the municipal guidelines for the sale
- Remove every possible perceived burden from the potential buyers
- Add what you can to build your list of positive selling points