3 Reasons to Get Your Home Pre-Inspected

Listing your home can be an incredibly exciting process that can also bring with it a fair share of worry and anxiety. Every seller wants a quick sell, at a great price, with easy negotiations, and a smooth closing. Easy, right?

Well, it can be! While not all home sales meet all those criteria, there is one great way to help the process go more smoothly and avoid some major roadblocks. Pre-inspecting your home is a great way to get your home up and ready and avoid problems down the road. We’ll give you all the details on a home inspection, and the top three reasons (there are more!) for why you should get your home pre-inspected today.

What is a pre inspection?

Simply put, it’s an inspection of your home that a certified home inspector facilitates. Every home undergoes an inspection at some point: either after you’re under contract, or as with pre-inspection, before you even list. Regardless of when you do your inspection, the home inspector will examine your home looking for any issues. They will assess plumbing, electoral, structural, and more, to let the buyer and seller know about any repairs that need to take place. And while some sellers do their inspection once they’re under contract, here are three solid reasons why doing it before could really save you in the long run.

1. Control

Unlike an inspection done later during the sale, you will get the results of all the issues – major and minor – before you list your home. This eliminates getting caught off guard with surprise repairs. No one wants to uncover a huge problem with their home that will push back the closing date – or worse, scare away a buyer. By seeing the inspection first, you can then discuss and assess with your realtor what is a must for fixing and what is okay to leave as is. Then, you have the time to hire the professionals you want to hire in order to get the problems fixed. No more scrambling to find any available contractor to fix problems quickly to keep your closing date. With the inspection in hand, you get to be in control and eliminate the rush and scramble of repairs leading up to closing.

2. Attract Serious Buyers

Pre-inspections can have a powerful effect on serious buyers. As potential buyers look at their share of homes, there’s always the lingering wonder and worry about what will come up on inspection. Will the plumbing be corroded? Is there a major structural issue? Is there something not up to code? But with pre-inspections, buyers can see these problems and move past them and really start thinking more seriously about owning your home. Pre-inspections can give buyers peace of mind so they can go ahead and start thinking about the best offer they can make for your home.

3. Easy Negotiations

Nothing is worse than getting a buyer under contract, only to have them make difficult demands. Negotiations are always somewhat murky as you want to provide the best for your home’s sale, but also not break the bank. When buyers receive your inspection post contract, then you as the seller have to wait for them to make their requests. And this can take up to a few weeks – a few worrisome weeks! You’re left wondering just how many requests they’ll make, can you afford them, will they get completed before closing? It can be a stressful time.

But with pre-inspections, you and the buyer can stay on the same page throughout the home sale process. From the beginning they have a running knowledge of what repairs may be needed (or that were recently fixed) so you save yourself from surprise requests and a few days of worrying about negotiations. Pre-inspections help keep every one streamlined toward the sale, helping you get there faster and with less roadblocks.

Don’t wait, start talking with your realtor today about how you can get your home pre-inspected and on the market!