Although not required, many sellers decide to have a pre-listing inspection completed before listing their home. This inspection does not mean the buyer won’t also request an inspection, but it provides the seller with important information. To get an idea of why you should have this inspection completed, learn about the benefits it offers to sellers.
Reduce Surprises With a Pre-Listing Inspection
You may be living in the home for years and think you know its general condition. However, all homes can have problems that go undiagnosed. A home inspector will inspect all aspects of your home and provide commentary and photos depicting their condition. For example, if you had termite damage, this is information you would want to know before putting the house on the market. Waiting until the buyer’s inspection to find out that information can jeopardize the sale.
Perform Repairs in Advance
Once the pre-inspection is done and you have a list of all potential problems, you can decide what repairs you want to make. By doing the repairs before even listing the home, you’ll be saving yourself time and potentially money in the long run. Not all repairs need to be made, but significant ones that could affect the sale of your home should be addressed.
Another option is to leave the problem as-is and disclose it to the buyer. For example, the roof may need to be replaced. This can be a costly repair and one that you don’t want to make on your own. By disclosing it to the buyer, you can prevent the sale from falling through at the last minute.
A Pre-Listing Inspection Increases Buyer’s Confidence
If your pre-listing inspection shows that your home is in good shape, then you can provide this information to potential buyers as a marketing tool. Although the buyer will probably still want to have a buyer’s inspection, he or she will feel more confident about putting in an offer. Since buyers can be skeptical of homes, especially older ones, having this report available may even fetch higher offers.
Smoother Negotiations
Many sales fall through at the last minute when major problems are found during the home inspection. When you’ve disclosed any major problems or have fixed them, any smaller findings on the buyer’s inspection report will be minor and won’t alarm the buyer. When there isn’t a reason to request a lower price or require work to be done before closing, the selling process is smoother and faster.
If you’re thinking about selling your home, order a pre-listing inspection to have a successful transaction. The benefits of ordering this inspection will affect the entire home-selling process from the showing to the closing date. These are just a few reasons why sellers have this inspection completed.
St. James Home Services provides home inspections to homebuyers in Durham and the surrounding areas in North Carolina. Contact us to book an appointment.