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Pre-listing Home Inspections: Improving Buyer Confidence

By
Home Inspector with National Property Inspections

Found the house of your dreams and want to move quickly? Ready to accept that new job but need to sell your house first? Do you know you'll be competing with several houses for sale in the same area, in about the same price range?

When you consider selling your home, a professional, pre-listing inspection can be away to put yourself above the competition and smooth the path through negotiations and closings. A pre-listing inspection is a general whole house assessment of the current condition of hundreds of components of the home, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing components. This overall inspection is visual. None of your personal property is damaged or harmed. In fact, your inspector will document in the report any areas of the home that were inaccessible. This is important information when it comes to preparing your home to sell. You want potential buyers to have access to all the areas of the home so that they are both impressed with the space and better able to visualize their own furnishings in your house.

A pre-listing inspection will help pinpoint maintenance items that can be fixed prior to a prospective buyer seeing the house. Many simple fixes, completed early, make the home show better and sell easier. Showing prospective buyers a copy of the report, including fixes, can inspire confidence in the buyer and help meet disclosure requirements. Although some people will always find something to complain about; others are ready to see your home through their rose-colored glasses and will appreciate that you have taken the time to prepare the house to sell in its best light.

 

Comments(3)

Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services
I have always thought this was a good idea.  However, most agents and sellers shy away from a pre-listing inspection.  I think it gives the seller to make fixes in a cost-effective way and to avoid any surprises.  I am sure there will be a lot of opinions on this, however.
Mar 30, 2007 05:43 AM
Christopher Smith
TREGO REALTY - Cedar Rapids, IA
Good post, I wonder if a pre-listing inspection wouldn't be a good marketing tool as well to inspire confidence in buyers.
Mar 30, 2007 07:20 AM
M. Murphy
National Property Inspections - Omaha, NE
I believe pre-listing inspections do inspire confidence in buyers. Especially if the homeowner is willing to fix any of the smaller issues. Plus, it gets the whole idea of the inspection over early, before the stress builds up right before closing. Of course, the buyer could always choose to have their own inspection, but a pre-listing inspection should help prepare everyone for the process and purpose of the inspection which may save time in post-inspection negotitations. At least one NPI inspector is averaging two pre-listing inspections a week.
Apr 09, 2007 06:43 AM