7 Benefits of Pre-Listing Inspections

If you’re putting your home up for sale, you may be wondering if it’s a good idea to get a pre-listing home inspection. Typically, the buyer is the one who requests – and pays for – a home inspection. This accounts for most of our inspections here at Bee Sure.

Hiring your own home inspector prior to listing your home has a number of benefits that can far outweigh the added cost.

A pre-listing home inspection is just like any other home inspection. After you book it, we’ll walk through your home and check every major system for defects and document them in a home inspection report.

Most homebuyers will still get their own independent home inspection (understandable). So, why bother with a pre-listing inspection? Here are seven reasons why it’s still a good idea.

You Learn Your Home’s Weak Spots

Learning the condition of your home can reduce a good deal of fear and stress during the transaction. As home inspectors, we hear homebuyers comments and perspectives quite often and know that there can be risk when the seller doesn’t know their own home’s condition. When you are informed, you know what could impact the terms of your sale.

Time is Money

Properly pricing your home is your Realtor’s job. This job gets easier when they are aware of the condition of the major systems. This typically leads to less days on the market, which is a win for you as the seller.

Avoid Unpleasant Surprises

You might be worried that disclosing everything to a buyer will cause them to pay less for the house. They will eventually find out anyway, but it can cause buyer’s pause when they’re locked into a price and terms on a home that has “gotchas”.

Negotiations are Easier

When defects are known ahead of time, it tends to lead to easier negotiations. If you’re not aware, these can get ugly quick. When you as the seller has an idea of issues and their potential cost, it cuts down on a lot of back and forth.

Attract Confident Buyers

Many buyers gain confidence when they see a seller that is proactive. This gives them the feeling that the seller cares about their home and is willing to get ahead of repairs or concessions.

You Get Ahead of Repairs

The advantage of a pre-listing inspection will allow you to make any home repairs that may scare a new home buyer from the purchase of your home. As a bonus, you will be able to use the repairs as features to attract buyers.

Have a Smooth Transaction

While you can’t put an exact price on having a smooth real estate transaction, we all know it’s worth something! Anytime you can reduce uncertainty, the buyer and seller will feel better at each stage of the deal. When there are surprises or disagreements, then it can be a bumpy ride. Negotiations tend to stem from the buyer and seller having a different opinion and understand of the condition of the home.

Then you have the quoting/bidding process that can also hold up a transaction.