Preparing Your House For the Sale

Bad news abounds when it comes to home sales. However much of this news is dealing with the national scene. Is there any good news for sellers in the Houston market? Actually, there is. Builders are holding off on new home construction. The inventory of homes on the market has not risen dramatically high as in other parts of the country. Realtor Associations are predicting that many buyers will be coming to the market soon, probably towards the end of the school year. Home prices are still rising, although in no great bounds, in the Houston market. So maybe you should be thinking of having your home ready for the selling season.

What can you do for this preparation? Well, one perfect task for the season is pruning trees and shrubs. When top growth is slow, roots are still growing. As a home inspector, I can forewarn you that we inspectors look at limbs brushing against the walls and roof of the home. I have seen tree branches remove the shingles and sheathing from a roof. Limbs from branches that have worn down the siding. Moreover, I have seen limbs knock down wiring. From a buyer's perspective though, pruning trees and shrubs into shape is the first step in exterior home staging. Pruning can help theses plants look better in the spring. More light can come into the shrub to promote fuller leaf growth.

Some rules for pruning: cut down to the collar around the base of the branch for larger limbs; prune to a bud on smaller limbs to help create a burst of leaves at that point; take out only a third of the plant at most when pruning a shrub; and try to create a way for light to enter into the center of the plant ( this allows the plant to leaf out in the interior as well as the exterior surface).

By starting now, you will not have to be rushing later to make your home ready for the buyers. By pruning away from the home, you will not have an inspector putting that item on his report.