So you want to sell your home in New Brunswick? Well, you have come to the right place. At Tverdov Housing, Pete Tverdov is annually one of the top listing agents in New Brunswick New Jersey each year. Our expertise in New Brunswick is unmatched and so we wrote this quick guide to help you get the most amount of money for your house in New Brunswick. Follow these quick tips to get your house ready to sell!
EXTERIOR
You want to prepare your home for sale in New Brunswick so it can sell quickly and for as much money as possible. Presentation is important. If it is a rental, you cannot control how the tenants live but you can control the outside of the house and the common areas. If there is random litter or debris, clean it up. Trim the shrubs, make sure the grass is cut. Is there garbage in the backyard? Have the home looking neat and tidy. Curb appeal is important no matter what kind of property you are selling.
3 YEAR CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
In New Brunswick, the town inspects rental properties every three years and issues a new certificate of occupancy. When was yours last done? I cannot tell you how many times I ask the seller this question and they have no idea – not good. It’s best to sell the property with a renewed 3 year CO. Plenty of people sell property and make it the buyers’ responsibility. When you do that, you shrink your pool of buyers down though, so keep that in mind.
The town will come out and inspect when you sell the home anyway. That is called a Code Compliance in New Brunswick. You’re not going to get away with selling a run down property (unless the buyer agrees to be responsible for the repairs) so to be pro-active you want all life safety issues fixed. No ripped window screens, no peeling paint, smoke detectors in place, handrails secured, GFIs in the kitchens, bathtubs caulked, things like that.
Those are some of the most common issues that create violations during this inspection. It’s best to submit the Code Compliance form early on so you can get on the schedule for an inspection when selling your home. That is different from the 3 year inspection! Code Compliance is for a home sale no matter what. 3 year inspection is the certificate for a rental that expires every 3 years. It’s best to the 3 year CO active because that likely means your property is in pretty good shape.
STATE DCA GREEN CARD
If you own a property that is more than 3 units, in addition to needing a CO inspection, the State DCA Green Card also needs to be renewed. Most banks won’t lend to buyers if its not renewed. If you have an expired Green Card this can delay your closing months. Read this article we wrote on how to pass a state green card inspection in New Jersey.
FIRE INSPECTION
All sales will also require a fire inspection. New Brunswick only does them on 1 and 2 family homes. If your smoke detectors are hardwired that’s the easiest. If not, no worries. Make sure none are older than 10 years. If they are older than 10 years you can fail. If any are chirping, that means either you need to replace the batteries in a hardwired smoke detector or they are older than 10 years and need to be replaced.
You also need the proper fire extinguisher: 2A-10BC. DO NOT buy the smaller fire extinguisher to save money. All you will do is cost yourself another trip to Home Depot to buy the correct one. The fire inspection must take place before the closing of the house. It’s best to submit this form early on so you can get on schedule for an inspection.
REPAIRS
If you want to avoid problems with the sale, make some repairs prior to selling. Even if it’s a rental property, you have a decent idea of what could be wrong with the home. If the roof is at the end of its life, consider replacing it. If there is asbestos in the basement, consider removing it. Big ticket items can scare off buyers just because of the cost. Not everyone is a professional with purchasing a home. Not everyone wants to take it “as-is”.
TIME OF YEAR TO SELL
New Brunswick is unique because nearly 75% of the city is rentals, so there is truly never a bad time of year to sell in New Brunswick. What is most important is presentation and having your inspections done or ready to be done!
Hopefully this guide helps you with selling your home in New Brunswick. If you found this information useful and you want to discuss selling or buying in the New Brunswick real estate market please do not hesitate to email Pete Tverdov at info@TVDhousing.com or call/text him at 732-289-3823.