- Getting a pre-listing home
inspection will ensure that you’re aware of any problems and can take care
of them on your terms – or present them as-is and adjust your selling
price proportionally.
- The alternative leaves you open to
costly surprises and delays, and even potential deal-breakers once you’ve
entered negotiations with the buyer.
- If you are selling a home, you have
a better chance to get the highest price in the shortest time, if your home is in top
condition.
- It is better to find out about any
hidden problems before your house goes on the market. Almost all sales
contracts include the condition that the contract is contingent upon
completion of a satisfactory inspection.
- This is known as the "inspection
contingency". Buyers will insist on a professional home inspection
performed by an inspector they will hire.
- If the buyer's inspector finds a
problem, it can cause the buyer to get cold feet and the deal can often
fall through. At best, surprise problems uncovered by the buyer's
inspector will cause delays in closing, and usually you will have to pay
for repairs at the last minute, or take a lower price on your home.
- It is better to pay for your own
inspection before putting your home on the market. Having a pre-listing
inspection done can make the whole sale process easier.
- Find out about any hidden problems
and get them corrected in advance, on your own terms. Or disclose
the items, and reflect them in the purchase price. Otherwise, you can count
on the buyer's inspector finding them, at the worst possible time, causing
delays, and costing you more money.
- One of the key benefits of having
the inspection done early, is that if there are any problems discovered
that need to be repaired, you can have the repairs done on your own terms,
on your own schedule.
- When a problem isn't found until
the buyer has an inspection performed, the deal you've worked so hard to
get done may fall apart unless you act quickly to get the repairs done.
- Or you may have to take a lower
price, in order to keep the deal moving.
- In either case, you'll almost
certainly have more headache, and spend more money, than if you'd known
about the problem and had it repaired before negotiations began.
- You could save thousands by
simply being able to shop around and get competitive quotes from
contractors, rather than being forced into paying for a "rush job" at
the last minute.
- Another area where you can save
money is in having flexibility to choose the materials used in repairs.
- Sales contracts usually specify
repairs must be made using materials of "comparable quality".
- By identifying needed repairs
early, you'll have the option to save money by using less expensive
materials for the repairs.
- You can also benefit from simply
offering certain items in your discloser.
- Often, you can negotiate with a
buyer to accept items in the current condition by stipulating that they
are reflected in the purchase price.
- But that same buyer may walk away
from the deal if the conditions come as a surprise, after an offer has
already been made.
- If the home is inspected before
the house goes on the market you will be aware of the condition of the
house before an offer is made.
- There won't be any surprises and
the deal is far less likely to fall apart.
- It takes a lot of effort to get a
sales agreement signed in the first place. If the inspection turns up
problems, the buyer will want to negotiate a new deal and that second
sales agreement is usually even harder to get done than the first one.
- When the inspection is complete.
You will receive a thorough written report. We will also discuss any
routine maintenance tasks that are required to keep the home and it's
systems in top condition, as well as answer any questions you may have.
- The inspection report will give you
a good understanding of correction issues, and what routine maintenance tasks you should
consider to keep the house in top condition.
Download a PowerPoint presentation of the Value of
Listing Inspections |
