Electrician and Solar Energy Specialist, Chris J., with family outside their recently solarized home!

With longer days, brighter sunshine, and the melting of those last pesky brown and gray patches of snow, March and April are the months we see a HUGE uptick in home sales. As part of the home sales process, homeowners are slathering on fresh coats of paint, patching drywall holes where the family photos used to hang, and tidying up that front porch with some tulips or daylilies.

The JE team is an experienced group of electricians and renewable energy specialists, but did you know that many of the employees at Jefferson Electric have remodeled, renovated, and rehabbed homes themselves? You betch’ya! They’ve tackled bathroom remodels, kitchen updates and front porch guts to make homes marketable for first-time homebuyers and down-sizers alike.

Whether you’re a veteran remodeler, realtor, or first-time homebuyer here are a few tips we recommend to make the process go smoothly!

1. GET A PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTION

We don’t expect homeowners to be remodeling experts, just as we don’t expect realtors to be electricians. Professional home inspectors provide a wealth of experience and expertise in various trades specific to home construction. A home inspector may not have a specialization in one specific trade, and that’s okay! A home inspector is similar to your family medical practitioner; the goal of your general practitioner is to spot things that might be problematic. They may have a specialty of one kind or another, but the goal is to get to know you, your situation, and help provide clarity on your overall health. A home inspector will provide you with a thorough evaluation of the home you are selling or buying and insights and diagnoses of potential areas of concern. A home inspector should provide you, not only with a comprehensive evaluation of the problematic points of concern but also with an overall tutorial of what owning this home might entail for maintenance and on-going operational servicing. This might include recommendations about how to replace a furnace filter, light fixtures that might need updating, bathroom vanities that will need recaulking, and/or an attic that might need more insulation to avoid ice dams, which are buildups of ice along the roofline that cause damage to your roof, ceiling, and attic.

2. INVESTIGATE INSPECTION REPORT ITEMS

Items that get flagged on an inspection report aren’t there merely to serve as a roadblock from you purchasing your first home, selling your first home, or investing in a rental property. They are there to protect the homeowners or other occupants and the dwelling from harm. So, if your inspector suspects there might be insufficient insulation in the attic, it might be something to look into. If your inspection report indicates the existence of improperly grounded outlets, you should call an electrician. If there’s the possibility of an issue, don’t forgo asking the experts. This could be something you regret later.

3. CONNECT WITH A REALTOR

Realtors are like homeowner or “home-hunter” advocates in a transaction that happens few times in the average person’s life. A GOOD realtor will get to know you and understand your wants, preferences, and must-haves for your new home. Realtors that don’t work FOR you, don’t work. Your realtor should be one of your biggest advocates! We work with numerous realtors and realty organizations. There are so many wonderful professionals out there who are qualified to assist you, and would LOVE to be your advocate.

4. CALL YOUR HOME INSURANCE AGENT

This might seem trivial, but many home insurance agents can provide policy information about a home prior to purchase. Depending on the location of your new home, your agent may be able to provide you with the names of local businesses that can assist you in making a good decision on the purchase of your home or provide you with construction professionals who can tackle your inspection report items. Your desired new home may have new features like solar energy, energy storage, or an EV charger. Ask your agent how these features will be covered by your policy. Lastly, the insurance agent may also provide insight into which inspection report items will be critically necessary for you to remedy in order for you to qualify for the insurance you desire for your new home.

5. TALK WITH YOUR SPOUSE/PARTNER

It may come as no surprise that communication is uber under-utilized necessity in the home buying process (just as it is in many other areas of life). Candid, clear, honest communication about your hopes and dreams for your new home is the surest means of success. Some questions to help this dialogue might include:

1. How many bedrooms or bathrooms do we want?
2. Do we want space for guests or family to stay with us?
3. Could we need an in-law apartment?
4. How will we utilize our home for entertaining or recreation?

Is there an amenity that’s absolutely non-negotiable (i.e. she-shed, man-cave, office, ensuite bathroom, jack/jill bathroom, extra stall in the garage, gardening space, pool, spa, etc)?

What is the timeline in which we want to find our new home / sell our current home?

Are we willing to sell our home without a *purchase-agreement clause (this means a purchaser can put an offer on a home with a contingency to rescind their offer if their own home doesn’t sell)?

Relationships have enough of life’s challenges to weigh on them, don’t make purchasing a home be an added burden.

We are Jefferson Electric LLC; we are dads, moms, husbands, wives, friends, brothers,sisters, home-owners, home-remodelers, contractors, a work-family, electrical and renewable energy specialists, and so much more. We hope your home buying, selling, or ‘realtor-ing’ is a smooth and joyful process. If there is anything we can do to assist you in answering questions, making a referral, or providing an electrical inspection, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Spring is just around the corner and we’ve never been more ready to get outside and enjoy God’s green earth!