I want to share with you some of the benefits of having a pre-listing inspection of your home done before putting your home on the market. Pre-listing inspections are becoming more popular amongst property sellers. Here are some of the benefits of having a home inspected before putting it on the market.

What condition is the home in? Most homes are in need of basic maintenance or repair. What if the home is part of an estate or inheritance and you may not know much about the home. These repair items will be on a buyer’s home inspection report and can make the home appear to be poorly kept and raise suspicion about other maintenance items. Fixing some of the smaller and less costly items can reduce the list of issues the buyer’s home inspector will find.

Pricing the home more accurately. We all want top dollar for our homes. However, when the repair list comes from the buyer’s home inspection report, be ready for a surprise when the negotiations start hitting the table. This can lead to you being asked to drop the price you are asking for your home.

Reducing the Negotiations. The buyer will often try to use the home inspection report as an opportunity to renegotiate with the seller to reduce the overall sale price. Disclosing issues before going under contract can help to reduce the negotiations that may be used to lower the price of your home.

Minimize Stress. What is the home inspector going to find?! Often a home goes under contract and the buyer gets a home inspection. The home inspector notes the home has galvanized plumbing, needs a new roof or fogged windows. This may scare the buyer away, terminating the contract, and the next offer may be a lower offer. If the buyer knew about these issues going into the deal, the home inspector will only be confirming the issues you have already disclosed.

Get more Buyers to look at your home. With the pre-listing inspection report, the buyers get to know more about your home than other homes that they can only see pictures of. This can help them get more of their questions answered about the home before going under contract.

Is there anything I should consider before getting a Pre-listing Inspection? Great Question?

You will have to disclose the information. What the inspector finds, you now know about the home. If there is a foundation problem or water damage, you will have to disclose this information to the buyer or get it repaired before the home goes on the market.

The home may be inspected twice. Two different inspectors may have different opinions on the condition of the home. It is common that the inspectors will have different findings during the home inspection and new issues may appear.

You will be paying for a home inspection. Costs for this service vary based on the size of the home. We offer a 10% discount for this service!

Selling and buying a home is a big decision that can be emotional and sometimes stressful. Reducing the stress for both parties can help make the experience and transaction go smoothly with fewer surprises along the way. If you are thinking about selling your home, we are here to help you and want you to have the best possible experience with the sale of your home.