One of the most difficult parts for a Professional Realtor to do is to have the buyer write an offer to buy a house on an "as-is" condition without asking the seller to do any repairs at all. The obvious fear of having to spend money fixing items that they did not expect is a reason why home buyers are reluctant to pay full price on a house they have not inspected, but inspecting a house prior to buying it is not a feasible possibility either.

But when the buyer is competing with others for the same house, an "as-is" clause on his contract will make a huge difference for the seller when choosing which offer to accept. The seller will always take that offer instead of one that has an inspection contingency.

Most properties on the market have some deferred maintenance, especially listings that are in foreclosure or bank-owned, home buyers would like to know what the true condition of the property is before they buy it, hence the inspection period of about 10-15 days from the moment the offer is accepted. Here is where the seller can  speed up the sale of the house by getting a complete home inspection before putting the house on the market. 

If the buyer reads the home report before writing the offer, then he can waive the inspection period and speed up the closing. These reports should be offered at the property so the buyer can examine them while looking at the house. I suggest EVERY HOME SELLER take the following steps BEFORE the house goes on the market:

• Order a complete inspection from a local reputable, Professional Home Inspection Company.
• Call a company that DOES NOT DO ANY WORK. Just inspections
• Choose a company that offers the reports via e-mail. This way it can be disseminated faster
• The report should include multiple color photographs within the body of the report. These photos help the average home buyer "see" the problem areas and understand them better.
• The home report should also include an evaluation of the roof.
• A pest control inspection should be done at the same time and a separate report should be issued.
• The Pest control report should include an approximate cost of all repairs called for.
• One final but important step: Make sure the inspector has access to ALL AREAS OF THE HOUSE.

Buyers will pay better prices for properties that are in good condition and only a recent full inspection report from a Professional Home Inspection Company can tell them that. The cost in the San Francisco bay area for a home and a pest control reports is around $550. If the property is in good condition and those reports confirm that fact, the buyers will probably pay good prices and haggle less.

The buyer of course reserves the right the call his own inspections. This is when the professionalism of the home inspection company the seller chooses comes into place. It must be reliable, stable and professional enough to stand scrutiny. I use a company called National Building Inspectors out of Walnut Creek, CA. 1 (800) 466-2466 The photos in this post are from an actual report from NBI.

Antonio & Alexia Cardenas, "The Realtors In Motion" CRS, GRI, E-Pro Certified. Serving the East Shores of the San Francisco Bay. Alameda and Contra Costa counties; San Leandro, Castro Valley, Oakland, Hayward, Pleasanton, Dublin. Visit us on line at: www.listedbyantonio.com Call us, we'll come and TANGO with you! (510) 326-4263