Why You Should Consider a Pre-Listing Inspection

We all know that a home inspection is typically meant to protect a potential home buyer so that the buyer isn’t acquiring a home that may have issues of which the he or she wasn’t aware.

However, it may be productive and advantageous for the seller to have the home inspected, even before putting it on the market. Here are a two big reasons a pre-listing inspection can be beneficial for the seller.

It will help you make better decisions about the sale of your home.

With the results of an inspection available before your home even goes on the market, you are afforded confidence that your listing price is accurate. . Consider how deflating it might feel if you’ve already accepted an offer on the house, and a home inspection reveals a significant problem not previously identified. A pre-inspection would prevent the seller from having leverage in the negotiating process that may hinder your ability to get a fair price.

It’ll speed up the sale process.

Whether you decide to repair any defects found in a pre-inspection, adjust the price, or simply acknowledge them up front, the sale process should take less time. All your cards will be on the table, so there will be less for a buyer and seller to negotiate over. Additionally, the transparency will likely provide the potential buyer with a higher level of confidence when making the final decision to close the deal.

Sure, there are situations where a pre-inspection may not be warranted; if you’re selling a fixer-upper, for example, there’s no point in identifying what needs “fixing” ahead of time as it’s already assumed there will be work to be done. Some states require a seller to disclose defects ahead of time, so anything uncovered could be detrimental if you do not have the money to make repairs. However, a pre-inspection can help eliminate some of the stress associated with a real estate transaction by avoiding surprises that could make the process much, much harder.