OUR START

Indicative of the name, “Home-Prep” was started by Andy Willhoit in '97 as a home improvement contracting business specifically focused on helping to “prep” existing homes for successful market presentations and high resale value. His venture to assist homeowners needing to sell their homes fast for top dollar found traction immediately as Realtors and Brokers began referring Andy's Home-Prep services to their listing clients. The idea for Home-Prep came about from Andy's previous career in the corporate home building industry.

Andy spent years working for a corporate home building firm, directing warranty programs and customer service for more than 500 homeowners, managing quality control for every new home the company built and maintaining the “presentation quality” of every model home throughout the company's California and Nevada divisions. Andy's goal was to make sure that each and every model home was presented in “like-new” condition, and to ensure that each new home built was handed-off to new homeowners in “perfect” condition. He achieved these objectives by building and supervising a crew of handy “detailers”, who would spend days fine tuning every aspect of the company's existing model homes and newly built homes. Once the homes passed Andy's personal inspection, he would schedule a personal walk-thru and deliver the keys to each of the company's new homeowner.

Drawing from this unique experience, Andy took his skills and applied them to the resale market. He would become one the nation's first small businesses, and remains such today, which provides specific “prep” services to the niche market of home-sellers. From painting, plumbing, electrical, and just about everything in between, Andy's service became highly sought after by numerous real estate agents and homeowners alike. As the market began to shift in 2001, becoming a “seller's market”, home-sellers where no longer forced to make improvements before listing, and were able to sell their property quickly, despite the condition of the home, as home prices seemed to rise almost daily.

With hundreds of homes in escrow on a weekly basis, Andy adjusted with this market change and began providing escrow and structural pest repair services. Along with the upswing in the home market came a strong demand for room additions, kitchen and bath remodels, as homeowners experienced and benefited from increased home equity. This is were Andy, and Home-Prep, continued to excel, completing remodel and room additions for numerous satisfied Chico clients over the last eight years. But with the recent slowdown in the housing market, Andy is eager to once again provide his company's unique “Home-Prep” services to homeowners struggling to sell their homes in a tight market. In addition to improving homes for resale by repairing and replacing fixtures, Andy is able to add even more value to his client's homes by incorporating specific features and applying the knowledge and expertise he has gained by becoming both a Certified Green Professional™ and a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist™. Both professional designations are provided by the National Association of Home Builders.

If you're getting ready to sell your home, strongly consider making appropriate “resale improvements” prior to listing. Even more, consider making improvements with “green building” and “aging-in-place” concepts in mind, as in doing so can result in a broader market appeal, a higher selling price, a fast sale, and a smooth escrow. Market trends show that homebuyers increasingly desire energy efficient homes, and that the aging of the population (baby boomers) will require more homes having specific features that enhance access and maneuverability for people of all ages and abilities. The fewer “fix-it” items your potential buyer finds, or improvements they need to make, the better attitude they enter the deal with, and you keep the power of negotiations on your side. Andy has worked with hundreds of real estate agents, home-sellers, and home-buyers, and knows which things NEED to get fixed and detailed in order to achieve a positive sale. Call or email for more information.