When to Walk the Property One More Time Before You List

Most sellers walk their home every day and never see it. That is what living somewhere does. So before a home goes on the market, I ask sellers to walk it one more time, on purpose, the way a buyer and a home inspector are going to walk it. Here is when to do it and what to look for.

Do the first walk before the photographer is scheduled. Photos lock in whatever condition the home is in that day. Start at the curb, because the first thirty seconds of every showing happen between the street and the front door. Then go room by room. Open every door, closet, and cabinet. Turn on every light. Run every faucet. Start the air conditioning and listen. Look at the ceilings for stains, the baseboards for water lines, and the garage and side yard for whatever has been stored out of sight. Take notes on your phone as you go.

Then sort the list. The first group is cheap fixes you handle before photos: the dripping faucet, the sticking door, the chipped paint. The second group is things you disclose rather than repair, such as a leak you fixed years ago. Arizona sellers complete a property disclosure statement, and this walk is the best way to make sure it is complete and accurate. The third group is the bigger decisions: an older roof, an aging air conditioner, a pool pump near the end of its life. Those are conversations with your agent about whether to repair, price for the condition, or leave it to the buyer's inspection and negotiate from there.

The reason for the timing is simple. Everything on your list is something a buyer's inspector is likely to find. If you find it first, you choose how to handle it. If the buyer finds it first, the conversation happens inside the inspection period, usually as a repair request, a credit, or a price reduction, on the buyer's schedule rather than yours.

Do one more walk the day before the listing goes live. Lights, blinds, counters, smell, and the front walk. Fifteen minutes, and it is the version of the home a buyer meets first.

What trips people up is assuming the walkthrough is the agent's job. Your agent should do it with you, but you are the one who knows which door sticks and which repair happened. Disclosure requirements are specific, so direct questions about what must be disclosed to your agent and, when it matters, an attorney.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

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Jon Hegreness, REALTOR / Associate Broker, Howe Realty
(623) 826-0888 / JonHegreness@gmail.com / License BR540940000
9059 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, B-200, Peoria, AZ 85382
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