Inspections for Sellers

Why Get a Home Inspection Before the Sale?

 

If you are selling a home, you will usually get the highest price in the shortest time if your home is in top condition. Almost all sales contracts include the condition that the sale is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory home inspection.

 

Though a few clients will conduct their own “inspection” most buyers today know enough to hire a professional home inspector to do this. If the buyers' inspector finds a problem, it can sometimes cause the buyer to have second thoughts, especially if they are unsure of the costs to repair such problems. This can sometimes cause delays in closing, or results in more back-and-forth negotiations on repair costs, contractors, deadlines, and so on. In some cases the buyer may elect to not purchase the home, simply citing “unacceptable conditions”.

 

Getting your own home inspection in advance of putting your home on the market can help head off any such last-minute surprises. This is known as a pre-listing inspection, and it can make the whole sales process easier. After the inspection you can choose to make the repairs before they can become an issue, or you may choose not to repair some items and simply disclose their condition. Then you let the potential buyers know that this condition is reflected in how you set the listing price. In this way the buyers will have less reason to feel there are more hidden problems with the home than was anticipated by them.

 

Another key benefit of having your own inspection done in advance is that if there are any problems discovered that need to be repaired, you can have the repairs done on your own terms, and on your own schedule. You could save a lot of money by simply being able to shop around and get competitive bids from contractors, rather than being forced into paying for a rush job at the last minute. In other cases you may have to take a lower sales price for the home, just to keep the deal moving.

 

Another consideration: if instead a repair is required after the buyer’s inspection, the repair itself may be more scrutinized by the buyers, and will need to be repaired to their satisfaction. This can be avoided by having it repaired before it ever becomes an issue.

 

Bottom line: Getting a pre-listing inspection can in many cases eliminate some potential surprises, and can often save you time and money in the long run.