Selling Homes is Easier with Pre-Listing Inspections:

A pre-listing inspection is when a homeowner that is preparing to sell their home hires a licensed Home Inspector to perform a complete inspection on the property.

There are benefits to the seller and the realtor by having the home inspected BEFORE it is listed on the market. This is an incredible service to offer to anyone selling their home.

A pre-listing inspection is the same as pre-qualifying the house.  Realtors are always asking buyers to be pre-qualified so why not do the same to the house?

Realtors have always worried about home inspectors that scare their clients and “kill the deal”. Pre-listing inspections will allow the realtor to control the sale and protect it from potentially falling through.

Here is how it works:

If the pre-listing inspection goes well and everything checks out (no major defects), then the seller and realtor have an immediate and distinct advantage over other homes in the area. The inspector furnishes the seller with an inspection summary report listing any common minor defects but most importantly stating that there are no major defects with the home at the time of the inspection.  This tells every prospective buyer that the home has ALREADY been inspected for defects before they even tour the home. That will help give any potential buyer comfort and relief towards any concerns and suspicions.

If the pre-listing inspection discovers a significant problem or major defect with the home, it will be listed in the inspection summary report. The seller will then have a chance to research it, receive quotes from reasonably priced contractors and correct it before a prospective buyer’s home inspection discovers it, and possibly uses it to negotiate a reduced offer. Knowing about the home before an offer has been accepted will give any potential seller and realtor time to process the information and make appropriate decisions.

A last minute significant problem or defect could cost a lot more than the seller would normally need to pay to repair it because of last minute quotes, expedited scheduling, etc.

After receiving quotes for the repair, the seller may decide to adjust the selling price to reflect the defect that needs to be corrected, or may have the problem corrected so that they can get the MOST out of their home sale.  If the defect is corrected, the seller may wish to contact the home inspector to re-inspect the property and verify that repairs have been made, and issue a printed report stating that there are no major problems with the home.

Could there BE a better selling tool than telling prospective buyers that your home has no major defects?!

Reasons for Pre-Listing Inspections:

For the seller

1. SAVES TIME AND MONEY! Sell the home faster and for top dollar because of no last minute hang-ups
2. HIGHER & MORE OFFERS - Sales advantage over other homes not prequalified
3. Prevent Problems and Reduce Stress – Eliminate the chances of a buyer discovering a defect and backing out of the deal or negotiations over the monetary value of repairs.
4. The seller will have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs themselves, if qualified. Again, this saves money and is less stressful.
5. Protects from bad inspectors - The seller has the option of choosing their own inspector, rather than being at the mercy of the buyer's choice of inspectors.

For the realtor – in addition to those listed above

1. Gives the listing a sales advantage over competitor’s listings.
2. Having a pre-listing inspection done on every listing builds credibility because every house has been pre-qualified.
3. 50% of buyers will skip their own inspection if the prelisting report is credible.
4. The inspection report provides information useful in setting the listing price of the home and evidence for needed price adjustment.
5. Buyers can choose to waive the inspection contingency when provided a copy of the inspection report.
6. Allows time to add defects to the Seller's Disclosure Statement.
7. The more informed a seller is, the less headaches there are to deal with during the often

stressful process of selling a home. The seller will be happier and more confident in the process and in their realtor.