Selling a home can be a lengthy, stressful, and expensive process. As you prepare to list your home for sale, you’re likely looking for ways to get a quick offer close to your asking price.
When considering a pre-listing home inspection, you may initially think it’s just putting more time and money into a home you’re selling. While ordering a property inspection does cost money and take time, there are many reasons why this is a worthwhile step.
What to Expect from a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
You can order a pre-listing home inspection at any time before placing the home on the market, but it’s best to order it several weeks or even months beforehand. A home inspection report ordered by a seller will list deficiencies or defects found on the property. Buyers generally do not expect a used home to be completely free of defects, so some of these issues may be overlooked as general wear and tear on a pre-owned property.
However, some issues may be serious, and a buyer may not want to purchase a property that needs significant work. By ordering and reviewing a home inspection first, you can determine which issues should be addressed before listing your home for sale. Here are a few reasons why this information is good to have up front.
1. Plan Ahead Strategically
Listing your home for sale can be stressful in many ways, especially when you don’t know what an interested buyer may ask for as conditions of their offer. A potential buyer will likely order their own property inspection to find out the condition of the home. When you order a pre-listing home inspection, you’ll have the knowledge to prepare for negotiations ahead of time rather than being caught off-guard.
2. Make Repairs Before Listing Your Home
While some sellers will use the information in a pre-listing inspection to prepare themselves for possible negotiations, others will fix serious defects before placing their home on the market. If you decide to make repairs, you can present your home in its best condition at a higher list price. You’ll avoid the buyer having uncertainty or negotiating a lower price.
3. Complete Repairs On Your Own Terms
A pre-listing home inspection puts you in the driver’s seat to handle repairs. If you decide to complete some repair work on your own to save money, the issues can be resolved without the buyer ever knowing about them. If you want a professional to do the work, you will have the time and freedom to request estimates from multiple contractors.
4. Prepare Financially
Regardless of whether you intend to make repairs before listing your home or you want to simply know more about your property’s condition, the inspection report will help you prepare financially for the sales process. You do not want to be caught off-guard by a buyer’s demands for repair work on an issue that was unknown to you. In this way, you can reduce the financial stress associated with selling your home.
While sellers are not required to order a pre-listing home inspection, you can see that there are great benefits to doing so. It makes sense to order your inspection soon and give yourself time to use the information strategically.
HTown Home Inspections provides pre-listing inspections for sellers and home inspection services for buyers to Greater Houston. Contact us to book an appointment.
