Should I get a pre-listing inspection?

If there is one thing that most home sellers fail to do before listing their home for sale it is to have a home inspection. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, more than 85% of home buyers who applied for a mortgage also requested an inspection — not too surprising, since home inspections reveal hidden flaws and potentially pricey repairs. But even though an inspection can make or break the deal, most sellers wait for the buyer to take the initiative (and chew their nails while awaiting the results). Here are a few reasons why you might benefit from getting your home inspected before you put it on the market.

 REASON #1  REASSURE PROSPECTIVE BUYERS 

Providing a pre-inspection assures the buyer that no major surprises are in store and may be just the push they need to get them to submit an offer. If you are lucky, the buyer might even skip the inspection and use the report you provide. 

REASON #2 BUY YOURSELF SOME TIME  

Even in new homes, chances are a home inspector will find at least a few problems. Typically, you may only have a few days to decide whether to make the repair or adjust the sale price appropriately if the buyers home inspector finds a problem. A pre-inspection gives you more time to compare prices and repair options from a variety of contractors, if necessary. At a minimum, even if you don’t make the repairs, you will know what to expect when the buyer conducts their inspection.  

REASON #3 KNOW WHERE YOU STAND 

Whether you’d like to admit it or not, your final selling price is determined long before the inspector ever sets foot inside your door. That leaves a huge question mark lingering over your negotiations — are you going to be forced to drop your final figure again if a major problem is uncovered? By getting an inspection early, you’ll know what concessions a buyer might request. That allows you to set your asking price accordingly and find out whether or not you’re in a position to play hardball. Commonly, buyers and buyer’s agents look at the home inspection as a second opportunity to negotiate price. If you arm yourself with the right information upfront, you can deal with any problems that may exist head on.

REASON #4 ALL INSPECTORS AREN'T CREATED EQUALLY 

An inspection is, in some respects, an OPINION. What one inspector might feel is a major issue, might be seen as a common repair by another. The inspector selected to conduct the buyers home inspection is, just that, THE BUYERS INSPECTOR. So it goes without saying, that when the inspection results come back, the buyer will consider the report as FACT. If the buyer’s inspection uncovers something that our recommended inspector did not feel needed repair.… there will be a discussion to be had! Typically, sellers NEVER have this kind of fire-power to combat a discrepancy, because they have nothing to compare the inspection results to. 

All in all, the decision to have or not to have a pre-inspection done by one of our recommended inspectors really boils down to the question of 

“Is there any reason a $350 INVESTMENT to protect & educate yourself in the sale  of your largest asset worthwhile?”

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