Q: We are getting ready to put our home on the market and wonder about adding granite counter tops.

Everyone seems to expect that but we don’t want to spend anything that won’t get us a better price.

A:  I wish no one had ever heard of granite counters! They can be burned, they can be cut and scratched, they are cold, and they are just rock for heavens sake! They will be “out” soon enough and some other ridiculous thing will be touted by all the folks waiting to make money off of everyone by convincing us that we must have this newest thing! (Sorry, but this is really one of my hot buttons)




If you really want to do something worthwhile, have a home inspection done by a licensed and certified home inspector. Fix everything. If you can’t afford to fix anything, then put it all in your seller’s disclosure (you are required to fill these out) and say right up front that you won’t fix those items. Then price the place accordingly.



I can’t tell you the number of homes I’ve shown with beautiful kitchen remodels but with rotting decks, leaking roofs and faulty electrical systems. You need to know what a potential buyer’s inspector will find and fix it. You could save your sale.



Buyers often walk away from a house with too many things wrong. During a recent inspection, my buyer and I admired the lovely floor tiles in the bathroom but discovered when the inspector went under the house, that the bathroom sink and tub leaked. They had been leaking so long the floor was rotted out. That means those lovely tiles will have to come up and the entire floor replaced.



These kinds of problems can be avoided by getting a complete inspection before you list your house. Be sure you get an inspector certified to do the pest inspection too. It should be no secret that we all have rodent roommates. Get them taken care of before the buyer has to hear about it from their own inspector.