If you are gearing up to sell your Los Gatos area home before the end of the year, or in the first three or four months of next year, it is not too soon to begin the outside jobs. Right now it’s dry, which makes much of the exterior work easier. Waiting until the rains arrive will only make these jobs more miserable to do.
If you are targeting an autumn home sale with a very impending rainy season, here are some suggestions for preparing your home to sell ahead of El Niño’s arrival:
- Create a punch list of work to do outside (and inside, too). Do a “walk around” the outside of your home, and bring someone along who does not live there to help you to identify things which need repairing, replacing, or cleaning up. (When you see something all the time, it may seem normal to you and you won’t realize it needs addressing.) Your Realtor is often an ideal person to help you with this list.
- Get any leaves or pine needles off your roof or have someone else do this for you.
- Have your roof inspected and have the “tune up work” and gutters cleaned now (get a quality roofer or roofing inspection company from your Realtor) . Roofing companies are backlogged as it is, so if you put this off it could be too late.
- Power washing is not allowed with our current drought caused water restrictions, but the exterior of homes should be swept clean of spider webs and dust easily enough, so take care of that soon. Pay special attention to the area near the front door.
- Plan to do exterior painting and other work now. Wood trim tends to need painting every 5 years or so. If yours looks tired or neglected, it sends a signal to home buyers that other things may be neglected, too.
- Check the sidewalk condition for safety. Is it lifted and a tripping hazard? If so, contact the town of Los Gatos (if a resident) and get it on the schedule to be repaired. (San Jose residents must pay for this themselves but that city requires a permit, which can take weeks to obtain.) For more on this, read a related article: Who maintains the sidewalks in Los Gatos – the home owner, or the town?
- Change exterior light bulbs if needed.
- Paint, polish, or replace your mailbox. Clean the hardware on your front door.
There will be many more things to do indoors, of course, but if you can address these outdoor items before the rain comes, they will be far easier to tackle.
Related reading:
Tips for selling your home in an El Niño year
