Several of my favorite posts on Active Rain are from home inspectors. Buyers love them, Sellers hate them and agents don't always recommend them in fear of losing a deal. My thoughts are why would you not want to lose the deal if something were wrong rather than wait to get sued down the road? That got me thinking about the timing of the home inspection. Almost every house sold is going to have an inspection so why not get one before it sells? Matter of fact why not get one for your home whether it is for sale or not? How much extended damage could have been an easy repair had the seller did a home inspection as part of his/her routine maintenance? Today's post by Clint McKie had damage to a chimney cap that if caught soon enough could be relatively easy fix for little or no money but left unchecked could be in the thousands of dollars in damage. Today's post by Jay Markanich talks of a loose toilet that if fixed right away would be pretty cheap but left alone could run into the thousands in damage. If either of these people would have done inspections prior to listing their home they would have had everything repaired and the house ready for sale as well as cutting the repair dollars to a minimum. Home Inspection Timing is critical for sellers wanting a smooth transaction. So don't wait to sell your home to get one, do it today as part of your routine maintenance. Best of luck in all you do and thanks for reading.
Randy,
Internachi addresses those same issues for their home inspectors with classes and training materials for them as well. Most Internachi inspectors are trained for "move in certified", an early inspection program before the sale and yearly maintenance programs are offered to our customers. These preventive and early inspections are rarely useed in most areas. The programs are avaiable but the demand for these services is very low. And the education process continues with Realtors like yourself. Thanks for your comments for others to consider.
Hi Randy,
Thanks for the shout out. I have been saying this for years. If the owners get a home check up inspection, then if and when they want to sell the home. All the issues that were found in the inspection would have been repaired and there would be nothing to be an issue for the buyers inspector to find.
Thank you again for putting the word out there.
Have a good Day in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Best, Clint McKie
I recommend a pre-listing inspection and agree that home inspections could and should be utilized as a maintenance tool for home owners. Just as we have our radon system checked every two years, a home inspection every so often (5 years?) would be great.
Randy: Maybe sellers are afraid of what they will find? Maybe sellers think that buyers will pay for it? Maybe sellers think that buyers will have fallen in love with the house and will take it regardless of problems? Mostly sellers these days are in a crunch and don't want the expense, at least not before there is a buyer on the horizon? And in that case, they probably don't want to go to the expense of fixing anything either although that might be to their advantage. Me? I think they are great because you know what you are dealing with. I always recommend them.
So far, this AM.....
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I have a toilet leak that resident moving in alerted me to - my plumber was there in 15 minutes and I have already alerted my carpet cleaner to bring fans and extract carpet...tenant will have 2X cleaned carpet when he moves in on Wed. Repairs and maintenance HAPPEN...unfortunately, many DIY landlords do not have the resources to address these responsibly so they do not get attention when it is NEEDED! |
Hi Randy, I agree pre-listing inspections are definitely a good idea if the client has enough equity to afford it. But then you might be obligated to share it with the future buyer even if you have fixed everything.
Vince: Training is key to a great inspector. Love the idea of an early inspection.
Clint: I am a big fan of you guys who shine the light on issues before they become My client's problem.
Shannon: I love the idea of pre-list inspection and think 5 years would be a great time lapse for inspections
Hella: If the sellers would do a pre-list inspection they would have nothing to be afraid of as they would know what needs tending to but I agree that is a stopper for them.
Wallace: I am a huge fan of your blog. It is sad but true some landlords can't afford to preventive maintenance.
Sandy: I would think a pre-list inspection would benefit the sellers even if their house didn't sell as it might save them huge monies in down the road repairs. I would think if repairs had been made it wouldn't be an issue sharing with buyers.
Marion: Maybe you should go to that site and stop spamming our posts. Disappointed you are even allowed to read our blogs.
I am a strong recommender of home inspections. I would far rather lose a sale to something disclosed during an inspection, than learn of it shortly after escrow, when it can become a much larger problem! And for the seller willing to do a pre-inspection, it can provide an early start to getting a handle on issues, which could be a problem later. It also makes listing/sale price a more genuine value.
Myrl: Thanks for stopping by. I 1000% agree on rather losing a sale than finding out later and possibly getting sued.
Randy, my post today was about getting these pre-listing inspections done as well. I think they could become a huge part of the sales process in the future.
Randy I think a periodic home inspection is a good idea. I purchased my house without one (I should know better), but I'm an investor as well so I take risk that the average buyer wouldn't.
I don't understand why people don't get regular maintenance inspections. A nice independent evaluation by someone that has no interest in finding something wrong is a good idea. Some sellers are amazed at the condition of the house they are selling but they never have anyone look at it so whats the surprise?
Hi Randy, congratulations on your FEATURED post. Inspections are strongly recommended for buyers to avoid any unknown major repairs after closing.
Hi Randy, locally I haven't seen much benefit to the preinspection for the seller. Buyers don't trust them. So, unless the sellers suspect an issue or request which they do sometimes, I'm not sold on them. Congrats on the Feature.
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Randy Ostrander
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Author Bio: Randy Ostrander, Broker/Owner of Lake and Lodge Realty in Big Rapids, MI covers all of West Central Michigan. He does work weekends so he can be there wheneve you are ready to handle all of your real estate needs.
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