How Moisture Meters Can Help When Buying or Selling Your Home

If you’re preparing to make a major move, you know that there is a lot to do to prepare whether you’re buying or selling. Even after an offer has been accepted, a lot rides on a successful home inspection before you meet at closing to sign all the paperwork and hand over the keys.

So how can you be sure that you’re doing everything you can to successfully sell your home, with no inspection hiccups? And how can you ensure that the home you’re buying won’t reveal in any structural surprises once you’ve moved in?

Using a moisture meter can make a huge difference when inspecting your home as you ready it to put on the market, or when you find your dream home and want to ensure it’s in tip-top shape.

Make Repairs Before Your Home Goes on the Market

If you are preparing to list your home, it’s better to find any potential moisture issues before it is listed. Water issues, mold, and structural issues are three of the main “dealbreakers” that arise in a home inspection.

Rather than wait for a home inspector to discover a moisture issue: worrying your buyer and compromising your sale, use a universal moisture meter to search for water and mold issues. You should check the roof, around the windows, at the baseboards, and along the walls: some of the most popular places to find water damage in your home.

In a home, where there’s water, it’s likely that mold will follow. This needs to be addressed quickly and reliably before a purchase agreement is settled. Mold, like water damage, can spread very fast, and so before you can deal with mold damage, leaks must first be addressed in order to prevent additional damage.

While this may mean you might find some potential repairs to make before you list your home, there is an upside. The term, “Newly renovated” certainly has much more listing appeal than a water leak found late in the buying process, which could jeopardize the sale of your home.

Negotiate a Fair Price

Discovering a leak or a moisture issue is never an enjoyable thing to discover, but it’s even less enjoyable if you’ve already closed on your home and you’re officially the homeowner - and officially responsible for the repair bill.

When you are entering into a purchase agreement with a potential seller, using a moisture meter to search for water damage is a smart idea so that you can trust that there won’t be any surprises down the road; in the basement, in the framework of the house, or in the seams of a window. Even drywall can soak up water like a sponge, hiding water issues, and potentially even mold behind it. Because of this you will want your home inspector to search for moisture in the drywall, so you know ahead of time exactly what kind of investment you’re making when you purchase a new home.

On the outside, the new home you’ve found may be the home of your dreams: It’s beautiful, it checks every item off your wish list, and has all the charm you were looking for. But if there is water damage, your dream home may become an expensive and time-consuming nightmare.

Having the information up front about any potential moisture issues means that you may be able to negotiate a fair price for your home; one that accounts for the financial cost of making repairs to seal off moisture and repair existing damage. Discovering moisture before you close also gives you the option to walk away, so you aren’t hindered by the responsibility of making renovations to your brand-new home.

Stop Moisture Damage in Its Tracks

If you’re set on your new dream home, even if there is moisture damage, a moisture meter will be able to help reveal exactly how much damage is there, allowing you to lower the final selling price of the home, so you can afford to make necessary renovations and get the dream home you’ve always wanted.

The bottom line? Using a moisture meter and thoroughly checking your home before it sells will prevent a headache after the house is sold, whether you are buying or selling. A moisture meter is the smart choice to be absolutely sure your investment is a sound one, and that you can buy and sell with confidence. More questions about how a moisture meter can make a positive impact when you’re buying or selling a house? Contact us today. Avoid unnecessary hassle and protect your investment with a moisture meter.