Seller’s Inspections

Are you preparing to sell your home?

You may want to consider having True View Inspections perform a seller’s home inspection before you put it on the market. Like others, you may never have heard of the seller inspecting their own home before placing it for sale. Well, you are not alone. However, seller’s home inspections are becoming more popular in the real estate world; let me tell you why.

Traditionally, after a seller receives an offer on their home from a buyer, the potential purchaser will order and pay for a home inspection. The inspector represents the buyer and will report to them all that they find “wrong” with your home, giving them an advantage in the negotiations. When you perform a seller’s home inspection before you list it, you know going in what the issues are and can take care of them.

You can also provide copies of the inspection report to REALTORS and potential buyers, giving them confidence that the home has already been checked out before they tour it.

Advantages to the Seller:

• The seller can choose the home inspector of his/her choice. Not all home inspectors are GAHI & ICC certified, and you get to choose.
• The seller’s home inspection is completed on your time schedule.
• If the house has any problems that need immediate attention, such as mold or termite infestations or radon gas, you have time to deal with it.
• When a buyer hires the inspector, the seller normally is not around during the inspection. When the seller hires the inspector for a seller’s home inspection, he/she can assist the inspector.
• The seller has time to go over the details with the inspector before the report is generated. This provides an opportunity for the seller to correct any mistakes the inspector may have made.
• A seller’s home inspection can assist you in pricing the home if there are problems.
• The seller can possibly ask a higher price if he/she can show that there are no problems or the problems have been corrected.
• A seller’s home inspection reveals problems ahead of time, which:
  • might make the home show better
  • gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
  • permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report
  • removes over-inflated buyer-procured estimates from the negotiation table
• A pre-listing inspection can alert the homeowner to potential safety issues that may exist before allowing possible buyers onto the property.
• The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
• A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
• A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
• The report might relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.
• The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
• The deal is less likely to fall apart when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a last-minute problem.
• The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.

Advantages to the Home Buyer:

• There is no need for the buyer to order an inspection.
• The seller paid for the inspection and there is no need to pay for another one unless the buyer wants it.
• You have a third party report telling you the condition of the property before you make an offer, reducing the back and forth negotiations.
• No surprises to deal with after you are emotionally and financially committed.
• Any issues with the home are acknowledged or either eliminated before the buyer makes an offer.
• Financial institutions may consider the report favorably when considering mortgage arrangements.
• A seller’s home inspection allows the buyer to sweeten the offer without increasing the offering price by waiving inspections.

Two Common Myths about Pre-Listing Inspections or Seller’s Home Inspections:

1. Seller inspections kill deals by forcing sellers to disclose defects they otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
2. Any defect that is material enough to kill a real estate transaction is likely going to be uncovered eventually anyway. It is best to discover the problem ahead of time, before it can kill the deal.
3. A newer home in good condition doesn’t need an inspection anyway. Why should the seller have one done?
4. Unlike real estate agents, whose job is to market properties for their sellers, inspectors produce objective reports. If the property is truly in great shape, the inspection report becomes a marketing piece, with the added benefit of having been generated by an impartial party.