What is a sure-fire way to add to the anxiety of a home sale? Failing to get a pre-sale home inspection! Having a home inspected before a buyer ever walks through the door can help eliminate unpleasant surprises and perhaps even allow the home to sell for a higher price.
How does a pre-listing home inspection produce these kinds of results? First, this type of inspection can help remove and obstacles that may dampen a prospective buyer’s enthusiasm about a house. When a buyer becomes interested in a home, but later discovers several, or many, unaddressed issues and repairs, doubt can enter into the equations. The buyer can become leery about the attention and upkeep the home has received, as well as wonder what other surprises are lurking beneath the surface. When a home has been inspected, all issues noted in the report can be addressed.
For the seller, a pre-sale inspection that holds to the ASHI Standards provides much-needed information about the realistic condition of their property. They gain perspective and the accurate assessment provided by a third-party professional. Selling a home is an emotional experience for many, and sometimes sellers translate their attachment into a belief that their home may be worth more than market price. A home inspector’s report can help because the inspector’s sole job is to impart the results of a thorough examination of the home’s true condition.
Such an inspection alerts the seller to any issues, and allows the seller to make a reasoned and thoughtful decision about the issues they are willing to repair. The seller also has time to make those repairs without time pressure, with the ability to compare bids on the work to be done.
If a seller decides to disclose issues, rather than repair them, that information can be relayed to the buyer through the inspection report. The sales price can be adjusted, and both buyer and seller are reassured by the process. In this way, a pre-inspection helps the agent and seller set a realistic price for the home. The inspection can also be used to explain and justify a higher asking price.
Some sellers have approached a pre-sale inspection with fear, rather than confidence. In reality, a pre-inspection report is actually a selling feature than can be used to set a home apart from all the others.
In a fast-moving sales environment when buyers are plentiful, competition for homes is fierce, and some buyers may be willing to accept a home as is, without the assistance of a pre-sale inspection. When buyers outnumber sellers, however, a home that has been proven by a home-inspection to be well-cared for stands above the rest, and it commands a higher price as well.
A home inspector can remove doubts about the home’s condition for both the buyer and the seller. This can go a long ways towards reducing stress on both sides of the sale. In addition, the inspection can lead to a greatly reduced risk of complaints or litigation after the sale.