It can be much more advantageous to the seller to engage the service of a professional home inspector before placing the property up for sale. More and more real estate agents are advising their (selling)agents on having inspections performed as an important part of the process of getting their home ready for sale.  Contact us to find out more.

Benefits of a Pre-Listing Inspection

• By having the property inspection performed up front, the potential for surprises up front is greatly reduces, both for the buyer and seller.
• Fewer surprises means less opportunity for disagreement and less likelihood that the transaction will fall apart.
• By having appropriate repairs, maintenance, or replacement conducted up front, the home will show better and may draw a better price.
• A listing inspection tends to avoid the undesirable situation of the seller having to negotiate repairs within the limited escrow period(when the seller may have already purchased another property), and is in the weakest negotiating position. Due to the restricted timeframes imposed by the escrow period, the seller may be faced with limited resources and availability of qualified tradespersons of their choice.
• Before accepting an offer, the seller is in a stronger negotiating position.
• Before a contract is entered into is the time for the seller to let the buyer know what the seller will fix and will not fix.
• Once the seller accepts the offer and is then subsequently presented with the buyers wish list of repairs, replacement, or money credits, the pre-listing inspection can serve as a valuable tool to help set/adjust a realistic and competitive sale price.
• By getting the inspection up front, the seller may choose with whom to have the work done. Sometimes a handyman can be used for some corrective work. Typically, however, repairs to electrical, heating, plumbing, etc. require the increased knowledge of a licensed professional .
• Once the parties enter into contract, contractors will typically be required, and will cost more, especially if requesting priority service.
• Often, the real estate contract calls for like material to be used when repairing damaged materials or equipment. If the seller has to replace any materials after acceptance of the purchase offer, he/she will likely have to replace them with the same type and quality of materials. Before the contract is entered into, the seller can choose less expensive materials, resulting in a possibly significant cost savings.
• Perhaps one of the very best reasons ave undergone extensive remodels, additions, and modifications over the years by various contractors, tradesmen, and handymen of various degrees of knowledge and skill levels. Knowing whether or not that work was completed at a level consistent with accepted industry standards and trade practices(of the time) are vital before placing the home on the market.
• By the seller obtaining an inspection up front, it demonstrates good faith in carrying out the sellers disclosure. The sellers (pro-active) effort communicates to the buyer that the seller is willing to disclose something rather than hiding information, thereby paving the way for smoother and more agreeable negotiations, a smoother transaction with increased trust, and less anxiety and headaches for all parties involved in the transaction.

Read our Seller’s Guide to learn more.