Everyone knows you’ve got to inspect a property when you’re a buyer. After all, no one wants to be the new owner of a money pit. What about the seller?
The Pre-listing Inspection is becoming more and more common, and they’re not a bad idea. It’s all too easy to glance around your property and just assume that it’s in good shape, especially if you’re living there or haven’t received any recent or serious complaints from your tenants. With a pre-listing inspection, you can identify potential issues with your property before they show up in your buyer’s inspection and possibly ruin the deal.
Pre-inspection advantages are aplenty
Knowledge means power, and this is also true of having a pre-listing inspection done. Essentially, it’s a negotiating tool, because you know exactly what your home is worth as it stands. Aside from potentially saving your deal from dying over a house flaw in the future, this type of inspection can also save you some cash by giving you the chance to sit in the driver’s seat.
For example, if you find a big issue that needs to be addressed prior to the sale, you now have the time and ability to use the contractors you want because you’re not under the time crunch that is associated with real estate contracts. Simple things, like your HVAC system needing maintenance to work properly, can be handled before you end up in a situation where a buyer is demanding a replacement instead.
Another pre-listing inspection benefit is the extra layer of protection you receive. As a seller, you have to disclose everything you know about your property. Handing your buyer a detailed home inspection is further documentation of your full disclosure when it comes to the property and its potential flaws.
Last but certainly not least, the results of a pre-listing inspection can help you shore up your home so you don’t end up with a skittish buyer. Even if your buyer’s inspection doesn’t turn up any major problems, a laundry list of little things can dissuade a buyer because it gives the impression the property hasn’t been well-maintained.
When you perform a pre-listing inspection, handle it just as thoroughly as you would if you were buying the property again. Remember the object here is to see your property through the prospective buyer’s eyes, so you need to look at the home or building with as fresh of an eye as possible.
