Fall 2
EngineersYou may want to buy a home or a lot but only if a certain design plan can be realized there. You might be so imaginative you’ll need an engineer. If you’re planning to build great engineering is indispensable to get the building permit for the project.
For questions like can I build a house on the side of this mountain? to Why does it cost so much to make this particular remodeling change? you may need to consult an engineer.
Find out more at the American Society of Civil Engineers website.
ArchitectsIf you’re an architect, you have cool glasses. It’s what you do. Aside from having a great sense of line and a minimalist wardrobe there’s a lot to being an architect. The flat plane desk, the special pencils. Architecture can go from being guided by budget to being an expression of ideas in the history of art.
Architects specialize in various domains. Read about that here.
For the best of the best, check out this article on great architects and their masterpieces.
Here’s another great read on architecture.
At the level of your future house build, someone who knows the land and can imagine how form and function can meet to maximize the views, the desire to bring the outdoors in, or show off the special qualities of the locale.
SurveysWhat is a survey? is a great question to ask before entering into a real estate transaction.
Find out more about surveying here.
Why buy the survey during a real estate transaction. If you’re a seller and its a buyer’s market I would have it in order to make it easy for the buyer.
If you’re a buyer, have your agent ask the seller for an old one in the due diligence documents. Then see how old it is. Has the landscape changed, the neighborhood developed?
With information as with advertising, more is more so its desirable.
Certainly, if its a seller’s market and you think the legal description is clear then not requiring a survey could make your offer attractive to the seller.
National Surveyors week in March draws attention to the field.
InspectorsSo you want to buy a house, you put it under contract and you have a couple of weeks before you need to launch an inspection objection. First you’ll have to find out if an inspection objection is necessary.
There is no state wide licensing for inspectors so you wonder who to go with. Someone who will be thorough, has experience, and importantly, can fit the inspection into your contractual timeframe. You’ll want to schedule the inspector immediately, because sometimes things they find will call for an additional inspection by a specialist.
The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors has numerous resources on choosing a qualified inspector.
You read over the inspection report and see tons of details about the home you missed. This can be destabilizing for the transaction.
Seller, you don’t want any surprises. You can purchase an inspection on your own home before you list it and find out all of the issues. This puts you in a better negotiating position because you won’t be thrown off guard finding out about some expensive defect that you have to cure immediately or your contract falls apart.
Find out, get it fixed in the way and to the extent you see fit, and then put the home on the market.
There’s also the home warranty bargaining chip. Let’s say you really can’t deal with fixing your house. You can offer a home warranty that may placate a buyer when added to an inspection resolution.
This article covers getting ready for the home inspector to come over.
Here are some issues the inspector will be examining.
Finally, I love this home inspection checklist which is downloadable! yet you run a huge risk if you don’t use a professional.
MoversMoving they say is one of the most stressful events in life. Most people avoid it just because carrying boxes is a pain. Its true. Next to saving for the down payment and closing costs, saving enough to hire professional movers is my top “don’t hate yourself” tip. And you really don’t need to ask your best friends to ruin their day and body either.
The important things about moving are so endless that you need a checklist.
Minimizing your belongings is not just for spring and fall anymore, its for simplifying your life and the less stuff, the less stuff to move.
If its a matter of coordinating closing times you may have to move into storage, then into your new place. Don’t see this as a negative. The buyers will appreciate a cleaned out home on the final walkthrough so you can get the peace of mind that this part of the process will go smoothly. And you’ll have time to get your new place cleaned before moving your stuff back in. You don’t want to be thinking of other things when you’re reviewing your closing documents at the title company.
No matter who helps you move, realize that labor is hard and deserves to be compensated.
Let’s Get SocialWestern Slope Home Pros facebook page exists to promote your business if it fits into one of our categories and you’re committed to excellent client service. Check out these social pages and let me know if I can help your business gain visibility.
Why I Started Western Slope Home ProsI started Western Slope Home Pros because it was hanging around my imagination. I was reflecting on my job to advertise Win-Sum, All Season Property Maintenance. I wanted to advertise this snowplow and lawn maintenance business in the context of other professionals that also serve homeowners in the Roaring Fork Valley.
I am a real estate agent and one of my jobs is to “know a guy” for a variety of home improvement related fields.
One of the things I always enjoyed about going to the hardware store is the bulletin board where you can pin a card and if you need that service you take a pic of the card, or in the olden days, take a card and put the rest back.
I wanted to recreate, online, the hardware store bulletin board in order to connect my real estate clients and prospective clients with the information they may want to research further to aid in their decision making processs.
I started this directory to serve my real estate clients with recommendations. If I haven’t pinned your card to my board (relevant page in the directory) its just because I haven’t met you yet. I want to shine a light on others’ businesses. I would like to connect with business owners that think they belong in this directory.