An important part of my role as a listing agent is to be the eyes and ears for my clients. As the market shifts and we see most offers from buyers including conditions such as financing and inspection, prepping your home for the market properly has never been more important. A home inspection can be one of the most substantial hurdles to a successful sale, so considering a pre-inspection is a prudent step to take before listing. Doing a pre-inspection doesn’t replace the buyer’s inspection and you shouldn’t be too worried if you took the step to do a pre-inspection and made appropriate repairs before listing.
3 pros to doing a pre-inspection -
A pre-listing inspection offers too many benefits to ignore for most sellers, although some situations may make doing a pre-listing inspection not ideal. Being proactive may put you ahead of the competition on the market at the same time, allowing you to plan better, rest easier and possibly get a better price on your home. Of course, I am always open to a transparent, honest conversation!
3 pros to doing a pre-inspection -
- You find out the condition of your home before listing. Now, that being said, most of us have seldom, if ever, taken a look in our attic space. A number of inspections I have attended for buyers have discovered mould due to no weatherstripping around the attic hatch or bathroom fans not venting through the roof and venting directly into the attic. This is just one of a large list of items typically found in an inspection.
- Less likelihood for buyer negotiations. Quite often, buyers will use the home inspection as a way to renegotiate the sale. Negotiating after a buyer inspection is often a hurdle that can be the cause of extreme stress. Being able to find a middle ground between the buyer and seller adds to the stress. Quite often, buyer agents don’t properly counsel their buyers before the inspection which results in unnecessary negotiations. A pre-listing inspection helps you avoid the typical interactions that follow the buyer’s inspection. You are unlikely to learn anything new about your home from the examination, and neither is the buyer because you have already had an inspection done. Negotiations should be minimal due to you taking the mitigating steps of a pre-inspection.
- Help eliminate a buyer’s doubt about your home. A buyer will feel more confident about an offer on your home knowing you’ve done a pre-inspection, it may remove a buyer’s skepticism about the state of your home. For many buyers, purchasing a home will be the most money they will ever spend on a property. Their offer may reflect their confidence on the state of your home. An inspection done before listing for sale can help eliminate much of the doubt about the home. Knowing that a professional has already looked over the home carefully may help the buyer to make a confident offer.
A pre-listing inspection offers too many benefits to ignore for most sellers, although some situations may make doing a pre-listing inspection not ideal. Being proactive may put you ahead of the competition on the market at the same time, allowing you to plan better, rest easier and possibly get a better price on your home. Of course, I am always open to a transparent, honest conversation!