Maintaining your property will have a significant bearing on your Home Report, and improving the quality of housing stock was a major factor in their introduction. Our surveyors see issues on a regular basis that if managed effectively can be the difference between scoring a one or a three in the Single Survey – a key component of the Home Report.

As a result, we will focus on areas that should be given key consideration prior to putting your property on the market.

1. Have you cleared debris and vegetation from rainwater goods.
We cannot stress the importance of keeping a check of your gutters and drains. If these are allowed to get damaged or blocked, both internal and external damage can occur – leading to potentially serious issues. Dampness, rot, deteriorating woodwork and brickwork are all examples of such issues. This is one area picked up by surveyors and will certainly be of concern for potential buyers. Issues stem from gutters overflowing during periods of rain, but over winter, snow melt can flow back into the roof void.

2. Have you replaced any slipped or missing slates or tiles and had flat roofs checked?
As we have experienced this summer, Scotland provides some of the toughest tests for our roofs. As a result, it is vital to monitor your roof to identify problems at the earliest stage. Have any tiles become loose or even blown off? Is there dampness or leaks occurring in your property? If problems on the roof are dealt with at an early stage, it will prevent more expensive repairs further down the line. In addition, flat roofs can fail without warning. Regular checking and repair should preferably be supported by either reports or receipts to prove to surveyors and purchasers that the inspections/repairs have occurred.

3. Have you placed sealant and grouted around sanitary fittings?
Not only do sealant and grout provide a nice finish for bathrooms, more importantly this task ensures your shower, bath and sinks are water tight and will prevent water causing damage which is often not seen by the naked eye.

4. Has external paintwork been maintained?
Refreshing external paintwork to windows frames, doors, soffits and facias not only improves ‘curb appeal’, but prevents the onset of rot in these timbers and can be carried out by the home owner relatively cheaply.

5. Is your fusebox and wiring up to modern safety standards?
We often see older push-in type fuses in properties where otherwise the report would have ones all round. Replacing the fuse board with a modern trip-type and/or obtaining an up to date electrical safety certificate in older properties is relatively inexpensive and can be reassuring for purchasers.

6. Scored 3’s on your Home Report?
If your property has scored 3’s on the Home Report and you can afford to make improvements on the property, it might make all the difference to your sale, and you should consult with your agent to see if they would recommend getting quotes or doing the work prior to going to market. If the property requires a significant amount of upgrading, any purchaser may have money held back from their mortgage to cover any defects which affect the value of the property, especially first time buyers for example. This in turn may delay or prohibit a prospective sale.