Home Inspections Are Not Just For Buyers

Traditionally, once an offer to purchase has been accepted, a buyer has a window of opportunity to conduct a number of inspections, to further determine the condition of a property.

In my practice of Real Estate in Falmouth, MA, I often recommend to the Seller that they have a complete Home Inspection prior to putting a house on the market. This accomplishes a number of objectives, the most important is that there are no surprises once a Buyer makes an offer, and the transition to closing is much smoother.

The small cost of an inspection often saves thousands of dollars, which might be lost, if a Buyer demands repairs before closing which may result in a negotiated lower price. This can often be avoided, by knowing what needs to be repaired or brought up to code, prior to listing a property and having everything taken care of first. Many repairs are as simple as touching up cracked or peeling paint, having the chimney swept and the flashing replaced, replacing a few roof shingles, having the heating system cleaned and inspected, making sure there are no leaky faucets, inside and out, that the doors open and close and do not scrape the floor, are a just a few low cost improvements that the Seller can do.

If a Seller is unwilling to make repairs, then an estimate in writing for repairs should be reflected in the asking price. It is always the little things that create the biggest problem, take care of them and you will be moving soon.