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by Wallace J. Conway
Home inspections conducted prior to a home being placed on the market is one
of the wisest moves a seller can make. The initial response from sellers when
approached with the idea of an inspection done as the home is about to be put up
for sale is most always the same - "What?!"
Let's review a few of the most common concerns about Pre-Listing Home
Inspections.
1. "The buyer will not accept an inspection done for the seller."
That is correct! The inspection done for the seller is not intended to
replace the inspection done for the buyer. The purpose of the pre-listing
inspection is to put the seller in control!
Given that no good surprise can come to the seller during the home
inspection, regardless of when it is done or whom it is done for, it makes
perfect sense to get every strand of information as soon as it can be gotten.
Bad news doesn't get better with time.
If there is some bad news, or more correctly, some items that needs attention
or might have an impact on the home's value, who better to receive that
information than the seller? And when is a better time to receive that
information than before the home is placed on the market?
The simple fact is this - a home inspection at the time of listing will put
the seller in the best possible position. With the complete and clear view of
the home's strengths and weaknesses, the home can be marketed to the best
benefit of the seller.
2. "I don't want to pay for the inspection."
This is certainly understandable. The seller generally perceives that the
inspection is intended for the buyer, hence, should be a buyer's responsibility.
But to have the benefit of the information it must be paid for. Never have we
had a complaint from a seller about the value of the inspection! In every case
at the conclusion of a pre-listing inspection, the seller felt they had made a
good choice in spending the money to get the inspection done.
In most cases, the seller's feel good getting the peace of mind of knowing
that no major event or expense will be uncovered by the buyer's inspector. And
on the rare occasion when it is discovered by the pre-listing inspector that the
roof is completely shot or there is some other big expense or danger, the
sellers, while not happy to have the problem, are glad to have discovered it on
their own terms. The small expense of the inspection is always less then the
cost and aggravation of a hurried hunt to get something repaired or replaced
after the home is under contract.
Save the pain, spend the money. Get every home inspected prior to putting it
on the market!
3. "The home is selling 'as is'."
This may be the best reason of all to inspect at listing! If the home is
being sold "as is", reduce your risk and liability as the seller by
getting a pre-listing inspection. In order for the home to sell quickly and at
the highest price, disclose every condition of the home. The inspection gives
both the buyer and the seller the comfort of knowing that the home "is as
it is". With a pre-listing inspection, there is a high likelihood that the
home is as represented.
Even in an "as is" contract, the buyer may still have their own
inspection performed. If these two inspections are similar in content, it is
rare the buyer will walk or counter offer. That, in fact, is the goal of the
"as is" sale.
Another concern of sellers is that they will have to repair every item that
is discovered to be discrepant on the inspection report. This is simply not
true. It would be true that every discrepant item needs to be disclosed, and
those disclosures may impact value and hence asking price, but nothing need
necessarily be corrected.
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