Pre-Listing Inspections for Home Sellers

Whether you are selling your own home or using a real estate agent, it is a good idea to have a professional home inspection before you place the home on the market. Knowledge is power. All homes have strengths and weaknesses; we give you the information to help you decide how serious the problems are, which ones must be immediately addressed and which ones can wait. The home inspection process can also help you identify the positive aspects about your home so you can highlight them in your marketing materials. The more you know about your home, the more prepared you will be for the negotiation process. A quality home inspection can actually help with the sale of a house and reduce the risk associated with a buyer’s home inspection. A pre-listing inspection lets buyers know that the sellers are committed to selling the home and are sincere in their efforts to present their home’s condition fairly and accurately.

The Inspection Process for Sellers

The home inspection process is a great cause of concern for many sellers. The main reason is fear of the unknown. What will the inspector find? Will the items found by the inspector be reasonable? These concerns are understandable. When a buyer has a home inspected, it is after the contract has been negotiated and all of the defects of the house were supposed to be listed in the Seller’s Disclosure form. Therefore, based on the results of the buyer’s inspection, there are several actions the buyer can take. The buyer can…

Request that the seller correct the problems. Request that the seller provide funding so the buyer can correct the problems after closing. Terminate the contract without forfeiture of their earnest money. Had the results of a pre-listing home inspection been presented prior to the signing of the contract… Buyers would be unable to use the inspection as an excuse to get out of the contract. Renegotiations after the home inspection should be minimal. Buyers would not be alarmed by undisclosed conditions of the house. The sellers would have time on their side. They can get several quotes for repairing any defects found. The sellers have the opportunity to make adjustments to the selling price or repairs can be made on the seller’s terms and not the terms of the buyer or available contractors due to time constraints.

Above all, a pre-listing inspection is the ultimate gesture of full disclosure. It will help protect and assist the seller through the process of selling the home and is the best way to minimize the number of contingencies in the sales contract.

Using the Pre-Listing Inspection as a Sales Tool

When you have your home inspected by Assurance Professional Home Inspection, your inspection report is confidential to you as the client. It is stored in a secure web server where it can be privately viewed or shared with anyone you choose. You will have the ability to provide potential buyers, agents, contractors or whomever you wish instant access to your report on the web by providing a user name and password. With Pre-Listing Inspections, you can also have the home inspector return to review and note any repairs you have made. Repairs can be photographed and documented and incorporated into the original report showing before and after comparisons. This revised report can become part of your sales and marketing efforts. You can even create a direct link from your marketing website allowing potential buyers to go directly to the inspection report. This has proven to be a great sales tool for FSBO sellers as well as sellers working with agents.