Planning to sell your home? People make this important decision for many reasons. Maybe you are moving to a new state, downsizing, upsizing, or moving out of your starter home. To get the most out of your sale, save money, and get to closing more swiftly and with less stress, we recommend a pre-market home inspection.
At Inspect Your Real Estate, we have seen pre-market inspections benefit sellers in numerous ways. To talk to Chip about what you want out of a home pre-sale inspection, call (914)-474-7695.
What Is a Home Inspection?
A home inspection, whether initiated by a seller or a buyer, is a non-invasive assessment of the entire property. Inspectors look for possible safety concerns, potential “needs repair” red flags, and other likely roadblocks to a smooth sale. They focus on everything from attic insulation and plumbing to HVAC and electrical systems.
Both buyers and sellers have a vested interest in ensuring the home is safe and being fully transparent about any potentially serious issues. Home inspectors do a thorough visual examination of the house from foundation to rafters, as well as the surrounding property. They provide a comprehensive written report with recommendations and identify things that fail a home inspection commissioned by a potential buyer.
If you are a seller, seeking a home inspection helps you address sale-stopping concerns before you even put your home on the market.
Why Get a Pre-Sale Inspection?
The benefits of such an inspection are many. Some of the most significant are:
- Getting your best sale price – When you have made repairs before listing and have a thorough grasp of the condition of your home, you are more likely to price your home strategically to avoid endless negotiations and counter-offers.
- Avoiding attorney-directed remediations before contract – If your potential buyer finds issues that they consider critical, often attorneys get involved, costing more for both parties. In addition to lawyer fees, more costly remediations or repairs may be mandated in the contract. If these issues were solved ahead of time, these outcomes are avoided.
- Creating trust with potential buyers who see a pre-sale inspection as a sign of good faith and proof of transparency.
If you are ready to hire a home inspector to do a pre-market inspection, there are some things you can do to get ready, streamline the process, and save money.
What Should Sellers Do Before Home Inspections?
To streamline the inspection process, there are some things you can do before calling Inspect Your Real Estate:
- Gather as much documentation as possible – If you have kept invoices and reports about work done on the house over the years, collect them in a folder or binder. For any work that has been done for which you have no documentation, make notes of your own, approximating dates as best you can. Give this folder to your inspector on the day of the inspection.
- Take care of anything obvious – If there are things you are certain will pop during an inspection and show up in your inspection report, deal with them ahead of hiring an inspector. A visibly leaking roof, holes in the sheetrock, non-working sinks or toilets, missing caulk in the bathroom, gaps in your foundation—these are things you are will probably want to fix before sale anyway and doing it before the inspector comes makes things go smoothly and swiftly. Then, the inspection report will notify you of less obvious issues, some of which you may want to address too.
- Fix water damage even if leaks have been fixed – One of the biggest red flags for buyers is visible signs of water damage. You may know the leaks are fully resolved, but the stains tell a story worrisome to buyers. Using a primer manufactured to block stains from water, as well as pets, smoke, grease, and more, will mean that the inspection document won’t include mention of such damage.
For items that you are unsure about, that might pass inspection or might be issues in a sale, you will have the chance to review them with your home inspector.
The exception to the above is if you are seeking an “as-is” sale and setting a price that reflects that. But if you have time and want to maximize your sale price and minimize your hassle, reach out to Inspect Your Real Estate to talk about a pre-market inspection.
Call Inspect Your Real Estate to Discuss a Pre-Market Inspection
Not sure what to do? Reach out to Chip at Inspect Your Real Estate. He will ask you clarifying questions, answer your concerns, and give you an idea of how the process works and what it costs. We offer a discount for sellers seeking pre-market inspections. Email inspectyourrealestate@gmail.com or call (914)-474-7695 today.