A home is a fundamental part of our lives. We tend to live in them for a number of years during which time significant things happen in our lives. Maybe you had additions to your family. Maybe you met someone to share the rest of your life with. The list is practically endless. While all of this is wonderful, the one consistent with them is time. While you stack up experiences, you house is aging. When it comes time to sell it, the fine wine element of this aging needs to be addressed.
The age of a home is always on the mind of any perspective buyer. To the surprise of many sellers, buyers usually are not overly sensitive to when the home was built. What they are really interested in is how long is the property going to last if they buy it. With some solid maintenance, an old Victorian will last for a long, long time. Homes built in the last 30 years, however, do not always have such staying power.
If you have an older home, you can take steps to cut this buyer concern off at the knees. It is an extra step that costs you nothing and you will be glad you had done. Yep, you are going to get the answers before you list the property. Being well prepared is the key to getting past the objections and concerns of potential buyers.
When it comes to the age of your home, the key is figuring out how long things will last. So, should you read up on it on the net? Should you just eyeball it? Should you go with what someone told you? No! You should get estimates. Specifically, you should call out contractors and get estimates. The estimates should cover the condition of the area in question, any repairs needed and the remaining life for the area in question. You should do this for the roof, heating system, cooling system, ventilation system and any thing else that might age like bad wine and is unique to your home.
Taking this step will let you know what is right and wrong with your home as well as how long things are going to last. When a buyer asks how long the roof can reasonably be expected to last, you can pull out the estimate and show them. End of question!
