One of the first things a professional home inspection looks at is the plumbing. And when a buyer is doing a once over of the house, they seem to always want to turn on the faucets and flush the toilet.
Which means that if you really want to sell your house in a reasonable time frame you should have all of the plumbing done to make sure it is in good working order.
If your house is old, then chances are that you have some plumbing issues that can be resolved. You may not need to renovate the entire bathroom and spend a ton of money, but you do need to make sure everything works.
Whether you plan to do the plumbing work yourself or hire a professional, read on for the tips on the most common repairs you’ll need to do to sell your home.
1 – Clogged and blocked drains
This is the main culprit that causes a buyer to take pause. If the drains are clogged it can be a sign of bigger problems. A clogged drain during a home inspection sets off alarm bells. Hair or other things down the drain can easily be taken care of with some drain cleaner liquid. So if it is clogged during a walk through then it could mean that the pipes have a blockage and that could be expensive.
Also, a slow flushing toilet is not a good sign. It could be just a loose flapper that doesn’t close all the way and that is an easy and cheap fix you can do yourself. Or maybe it is just a partial clog. But, it pays to make sure that the toilet is flushing properly before anybody comes to see the house.
2 – Leaks
When there is sign of a leak, then this also spooks buyers. They envision damage to the walls or even the structure of the house which could spell huge bills and a lengthy repair with a disruption to their lives.
Have a pre-inspection done on your home to see if there are any undetected leaks. You may not even be aware that there is a leaky pipe somewhere in your home.
Though, usually there are some signs. There is sometimes a discoloration on the paint of a wall where there is water that is accumulating. A more obvious sign is mold around an area where water is getting into the house behind the wall. Usually it is from a leaky pipe somewhere.
3 – Out of the house plumbing
Once the pipes exit your house, they can still cause problems. The sewer lines can have clogs waiting to happen or your septic system could have aging materials that could cause problems.
Check these things out before you have people over so any sign of a problem can be fixed. You may need to dig things up so this should be done well ahead of time before the house goes on the market.
