3 Things To Know About Pre-Listing Inspections When Selling A Home

Are you wondering to yourself, "how can I sell my home?" Selling your house is an event that is a big deal, and many homeowners will do a lot of different things before they list their houses. While there are certain steps you should complete when selling, there are other steps that are optional. An example of an optional step is getting a pre-listing inspection done on the home.

What a pre-listing inspection is

Most people are very familiar with what a home inspection is so understanding what a pre-listing inspection is not hard at all. A pre-listing inspection is the same thing as a home inspection. The only difference is the timing. A normal home inspection is not something people typically order until after a seller accepts their offer and they are proceeding towards closing on the house. A pre-listing inspection occurs just before the homeowner lists his or her home for sale.

Reasons to get one

Homeowners that are planning on selling may opt for a pre-listing inspection for one of several reasons:

1. To advertise that the house is free of problems.
2. To avoid surprise issues later on in the process.
3. To fix any issues now rather than waiting until later on.

Homeowners must invest a small amount of money into a pre-listing inspection, but the money spent is worthwhile for these three reasons.

Ways it can help ensure a smooth sale

A home sale that happens takes time, and it takes more time when issues pop up during the event. The person buying a house will normally place a home inspection contingency on the purchase offer to have the opportunity to find out details about the condition of the home. If the buyer gets the inspection report back and finds that the home has issues that were not disclosed, this person could decide to walk away from buying this home and may choose another one.

As the seller of a house, you have the opportunity to prevent situations like this by finding out the condition of every part of your home prior to listing it. With this information, you can either remedy the issues you discover or continue selling the home without fixing the issues. If you choose the latter, you should clearly disclose the problems the house has upfront.

You do not have to hire an inspector to complete a pre-listing inspection, but it certainly is a good step to take. You can ask a real estate agent about this if you need more information.