Home inspections conducted prior to a home being placed on
the market is one of the wisest moves a seller can make. The initial
response from sellers when approached with the idea of an inspection
done as the home is about to be put up for sale is most always the same
- "What?!"

Let's review a few of the most common concerns about Pre-Listing Home Inspections.

1. "The buyer will not accept an inspection done for the seller."

That is correct! The inspection done for the seller is not
intended to replace the inspection done for the buyer. The purpose of
the pre-listing inspection is to put the seller in control!

Given that no good surprise can come to the seller during the
home inspection, regardless of when it is done or whom it is done for,
it makes perfect sense to get every strand of information as soon as it
can be gotten. Bad news doesn't get better with time.

If there is some bad news, or more correctly, some items that
needs attention or might have an impact on the home's value, who better
to receive that information than the seller? And when is a better time
to receive that information than before the home is placed on the
market?

The simple fact is this - a home inspection at the time of
listing will put the seller in the best possible position. With the
complete and clear view of the home's strengths and weaknesses, the
home can be marketed to the best benefit of the seller.

2. "I don't want to pay for the inspection."

This is certainly understandable. The seller generally perceives
that the inspection is intended for the buyer, hence, should be a
buyer's responsibility. But to have the benefit of the information it
must be paid for. Never have we had a complaint from a seller about the
value of the inspection! In every case at the conclusion of a
pre-listing inspection, the seller felt they had made a good choice in
spending the money to get the inspection done.

In most cases, the seller's feel good getting the peace of mind
of knowing that no major event or expense will be uncovered by the
buyer's inspector. And on the rare occasion when it is discovered by
the pre-listing inspector that the roof is completely shot or there is
some other big expense or danger, the sellers, while not happy to have
the problem, are glad to have discovered it on their own terms. The
small expense of the inspection is always less then the cost and
aggravation of a hurried hunt to get something repaired or replaced
after the home is under contract.

Save the pain, spend the money. Get every home inspected prior to putting it on the market!

3. "The home is selling 'as is'."

This may be the best reason of all to inspect at listing! If the
home is being sold "as is", reduce your risk and liability as the
seller by getting a pre-listing inspection. In order for the home to
sell quickly and at the highest price, disclose every condition of the
home. The inspection gives both the buyer and the seller the comfort of
knowing that the home "is as it is". With a pre-listing inspection,
there is a high likelihood that the home is as represented.

Even in an "as is" contract, the buyer may still have their own
inspection performed. If these two inspections are similar in content,
it is rare the buyer will walk or counter offer. That, in fact, is the
goal of the "as is" sale.

Another concern of sellers is that they will have to repair
every item that is discovered to be discrepant on the inspection
report. This is simply not true. It would be true that every discrepant
item needs to be disclosed, and those disclosures may impact value and
hence asking price, but nothing need necessarily be corrected.