Q: We are in the process of selling our home and our REALTOR® has suggested it would be a good idea to have our home pre-inspected to give us a listing advantage. Why should the Seller have their own home inspected?
A: Actually, your REALTOR® has given you some very sound advice! Eventually, every home that is up for sale will get inspected – it is a normal part of the purchase agreement, so having the home inspected is not something that can be easily avoided. It is a simple fact that “Knowledge is Power”, which is why more and more Sellers are starting to realize the benefits of taking charge of their own destiny by having the home pre-inspected prior to listing their property for sale.
Otherwise, any major defective system, component or safety issues discovered during this home inspection process could lead to delays, maybe even re-negotiations or in a worst case scenario it could give the Purchaser the opportunity to cancel the entire purchase agreement. Sometimes this is because a major problem was discovered that no one was aware of! And sometimes it could be because the inspection report confused a non-technical Purchaser, who simply may not understand that minor and typical maintenance related issues are just that – minor and typical!
A Pre-Listing Inspection is the same as a ‘Home Inspection’, but is done to provide the Seller with a better understanding of their own homes condition and to allow them to address any areas of concern, deficiency or overdue maintenance related items prior to it becoming a potential issue for a future Purchaser. Those identified problems that were corrected or even last minute repairs can then be fully disclosed to the future Buyer. This would certainly allow the Seller to be better able to manage their own expectations and it would also help the Purchaser to know the true condition of the property from the beginning, as they may wish to negotiate in any needed repairs into their offer prior to them conducting their own home inspection. However, the primary difference should be that unless their Home Inspector is able to identify a major deficiency that was not discovered during the Pre-Listing Inspection; there should be no reason for any delays, concerns or issues that could jeopardize the sale of the home.
Again, the objective of a Pre-Listing Inspection is to allow the Seller to be more in control, as they can choose a competent Home Inspector based on reputation, credentials and experience instead of relying on the Purchaser, who may use a friend, relative or a company that might not be qualified to inspect their home. Having the home “Pre-Inspected” should eliminate any possibility the Purchaser would walk away from the deal because they found problems or deficiencies in the house that no one was aware of.
Benefits of a Pre-Listing Inspection:
Lawrence Englehart (Global Property Inspections) is a Registered Home Inspector and be reached at inspections@eastlink.ca or www.gpiweb.ca/englehart or www.facebook.com/GPI.HRM