News > How to Win Your Phoenix Condo Inspection

Getting your Phoenix condo or townhome ready to be listed for sale can take some work to pretty it up for prospective buyers. But beyond getting it photo ready, there are some other things to consider. Remember that the first thing a buyer will do after signing a contract is to schedule an inspection. If an inspection turns up too many problems, that once excited buyer could turn into an apprehensive buyer that might cancel a contract. But the good news is that there are several things you can do to lessen the chances of a bad inspection. Here are two choices:

Hire Your Own Inspector

Before listing your condo, hiring an inspector is one way to ensure that all issues can be identified and potentially resolved before the buyer's inspection. Instead of trying to rush through repairs during the escrow period or, even worse, paying a premium to the buyer in lieu of repairs, this gives you the opportunity to address any issues.

Prices for condo inspections range from $400 to $600, depending on the size of your condo.

The DYI alternative.

You can also identify some of the more obvious and common problems in your condo instead of hiring an inspector. Based on our participation in numerous inspections, we have compiled this list of things that you can do to find and repair some common problems.

• Get your air conditioner serviced first.  During an inspection, buyers may be frightened away by air conditioning issues or request a new system. Inform your service professional that you are selling your house, and request that he examine the temperature difference between the Supply and Return. The inspector uses this crucial test to ensure that the system is operating properly. Additionally, you should clean any return air grates and change the filter.
• Do a bathroom check: Identify any running toilets, drips under the sink pipes, and slow-moving drains. Repair any caulking gaps. Although most of these repairs are minor, they can add up in an inspection. A plumber or handyman can fix these issues.
• Fix any damaged drywall caused by leaks in the past (but fix the leak first and remediate any mold, if you haven't already!). The buyer still needs to know about the leak, but they don't have to see the result. 
• Replace any non-working lightbulbs.
• Walk around the outside of a low-rise condo or townhome and look for termite tubes rising from the ground along the stem wall—the concrete that starts at dirt level—by walking around the building. A picture of the things to look for is on this website: What is a mud tube? can be found at https://www.terminix.com/blog/education/termite-structures-101/. If you spot one, let your HOA know and ask them to hire a termite control company to spray it. Also you'll want to check the base walls of your garage for tubes as well.

Most of these repair items can be handled by a handyman for a small price tag. In a perfect world, you win if the inspector finds nothing or just a small list of easily negotiated repairs. And even better, the buyer might decide that any leftover items are so insignificant that they can be ignored.

 

Though not guaranteed, information and statistics in this article have been acquired from sources believed to be reliable.

Related Links

• Phoenix Condo Sellers Guide