The Value of Pre-Listing Inspections

Published by julia | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Market Trends, Miscellaneous, Real Estate

The term pre-listing inspection may or may not have meaning for you. It is exactly what the name implies, a home inspection performed before a house is listed on the market. But why would anyone want to go through all that trouble when the buyer usually has their own inspection? Or worse? What if you have your house inspected and the buyer still has an inspection of their own? These questions are valid, but aren’t as major as they may seem. Changes in the market require changes in thinking. With the way the market has become, any edge over competition should be highly sought after. A pre-listing inspection can be that edge for you.

One of the main reasons for choosing such an inspection is that it gives the buyer more information before even considering buying your house. This means that your house is likely to be considered before houses with less information provided. You will have a third party unbiased opinion to offer the buyer, which means they won’t be wondering if some details have been modified to sound more appealing or not. It also means that if any problems do exist for your house that they will be spotted and can either be dealt with before the house is listed or your price can be adjusted to allow for the problems. This means no ugly surprises for the buyer and less possibility of something going wrong in the selling process. Or there’s the convenience to consider. If you’re the one choosing an inspector, then you get to have them do the inspection based on your own schedule more than on a buyer’s schedule.

Still not convinced on the value of having a pre-listing inspection? What about the reduction in the need for negotiation or renegotiation? Or the fact that it can possibly help the buyer in obtaining financing? See? Fewer problems for everyone involved. But if you’re still not convinced by all of this information, then you aren’t going to be convinced by any argument. If you’re almost convinced, but are still a little unsure, I suggest doing a bit of personal research on the topic. Perhaps what you need is first hand testimonials from people who have tried this method. If you are already convinced, then I congratulate you and wish you luck in your endeavors selling your house. Maybe one day your own experiences can help someone else to choose this route.