What’s a Pre-listing Home Inspection?

Getting a pre-listing home inspection is probably my #1 tip for homeowners looking to sell their homes (whether with a professional or on their own). Hire a home inspector to perform a full home inspection just like the buyer will do. Why? Well there are several reasons:

1. You can identify repairs and maintenance issues. This will give you an opportunity to take care of these items before you go on the market. This can help improve showings too as buyers are smart and savvy and look at everything. When buyers see that a homeowner is proactively addressing issues, they are much more confident in their purchase.
2. You can eliminate a buyer’s negotiating power. Now keep in mind that no two home inspectors are alike. Also, the same inspector may find different issues on the same property during different inspections. However, I would guess that 99% of the issues that would come up during a buyer’s inspection would have been found and taken care of with a pre-listing inspection. This is very helpful when negotiating because buyer’s will exaggerate the cost of a repair. For example, if you found a leak in the roof due to bad flashing around the chimney, you might get it fixed for a few hundred dollars. The buyer might try to get a new roof out of you!
3. You can have peace of mind. Knowing what issues may or may not exist in your home will give you peace of mind. If you find something problematic, you now have an opportunity to fix it. Knowing your house is taken care of and you and your family are safe is worth a few hundred bucks for the inspection. If you find that there are no major problems, you can be comfortable and confident in showing your home to potential buyers.

I am certain that a pre-listing home inspection will help you get top dollar for your home. Spending about $400 upfront can easily help you net much more than that with an accepted offer.

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