Saturday, March 14, 2009

Pre-Listing Home Inspections Save Headaches and Money

Consider a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
I usually advise all my customers who are listing their home for sale to have a pre-listing home inspection. It costs $300-500.00 depending on the age, size, and amenities of the home, and is well worth the expenditure when you consider the following:

*If you were buying this home, wouldn’t you want to know that the current owner had felt confidant enough in it to have the home inspection done, and then make it available to you before the sale? Sure, the buyer is going to have his/her own home inspector do the inspection also, but it gives a sense of certainty to the buyer that can help them make the decision to buy, if they already know you have taken good care of it. They never get to the stage of having a home inspection if they don’t make an offer that you can accept.
*If the pre-listing inspection finds something serious enough to warrant repair, then it’s a good idea to find it prior to the buyer bringing in their own inspector. Once their inspector finds something wrong, they start to question whether they should buy it at all. I have seen buyers walk away from a deal because of even small things their inspector finds wrong.
*As your realtor, I’d like to know if there is anything wrong with the home before I start marketing it. I feel much more comfortable telling prospective buyers that it’s in tip top shape if it really is in tip top shape.
*So you get a contract on your house, and the buyer brings in his/her own inspector. Some inspectors are so nitpicky that your buyer comes up with a huge list of repairs they want you to make before they’ll go through with the sale. Wouldn’t you want to know from your inspector, which items are important to have tended to, and which are not? And if the list of repairs is small, often the buyer will accept the house as is, instead of asking you to repair everything. You deal from strength in having knowledge of your home’s great and not-so-great features.
*A home which is in tip top shape, can bring a higher price than one which has problems.

Home inspectors in AZ have to pass a rigorous testing process before they are allowed to perform inspections. They have to have errors and omissions insurance, and proof they have conducted inspections in the company of a certified inspector. Do yourself a favor, and order up that pre-listing inspection and save yourself and your realtor possible headaches later.

No comments:

Post a Comment