How a Pre-Listing Inspection Can Help Sell Your Home

So what is a Pre-List Inspection? This is a home inspection performed by the current owner before they list their property. The Seller, (or Realtor), hires and pays a professional Home Inspector to conduct a 3 hour ( typically) inspection, which provides a written report of the condition of the home, (inside and out), and makes it available to interested Buyers.

I believe a Pre-Listing Inspection is crucial to getting top dollar for your home, and in the power it gives Sellers in negotiations, so I offer this service to all my Seller clients.

Here's why you definitely want to consider having one done before the sale of your property:

1. The inspection will help you identify and address any issues early on, before they can become an issue for Buyers. First -Time home buyers can be easily spooked by minor maintenance issues and repairs, and tend to overestimate the cost to fix these things. Better to fix that leaky faucet or electrical receptacle yourself, since this proactive approach will prevent these issues from becoming a deal breaker later on in negotiations.

   
   

2. The most important factor in listing your home is price, and a new roof that might cost $15, 000 needs to be factored into the listing price. The inspection allows Sellers to have a clear understanding of the homes current condition and set a realistic and accurate price. Pricing right from the beginning will help attract serious Buyers and potentially lead to a quicker offer or closing. You only get one chance to list your house, and listing high and lowering it later is literally the "kiss of death" (more on that in another post) in the sale of your property, so have a competitive price from day 1 in order for your home to sell and not sit!

   
   

3. A Pre-Listing Inspection enhances transparency and disclosure. By providing this report, a seller is demonstrating integrity and building trust with potential Buyers upfront. Not to mention, its never ideal to have a Buyer educate you on YOUR own property, which will cause you to then lose leverage in the negotiations. Knowledge is power, and can protect you by proving what you did and didn't know in a future lawsuit.

   
   

4. The Inspection can also help encourage multiple offers, and facilitate a faster closing process. When Buyers receive a comprehensive report up front, they may feel more comfortable making an offer with few to no conditions. If you want to generate multiple offers, i.e. a bidding war, you want to instill as much confidence in a Buyer as possible, so embrace full transparency, and reduce the delays associated with post offer negotiations.

   
   

5. A Pre-Listing Inspection doesn't only show issues with a property, it can highlight a homes strengths and positive attributes! Obviously the report will identify any areas needing improvement, but Sellers can also leverage the inspection to showcase well-maintained systems, recent upgrades, and overall good condition. This can be very compelling information to interested Buyers.

When it comes to achieving your real Estate goals, consider hiring a professional who can help guide you through the Pre-Inspection process and help position your home in the market as the obvious choice!