I just read a post by Erika Rogers titled “Steps to Take After Your Pre-listing Home Inspection Report Comes Back” and I thought I’d share my opinion on this topic. My team and I are listing agents, and we focus on this niche. We must always keep in mind that everything we suggest should be in the best interest of the seller, not the buyer.
Pre listing home inspections are not typical in our area and I’ve never heard of a seller paying for this inspection. Having a pre listing inspection is like opening a can of worms. Once it’s opened, it cannot be closed again.
There are full disclosure laws that come into play. Whatever is in that report now needs to be fully disclosed to all potential buyers. If there is a major problem that the sellers are not planning on correcting, the problem needs to be disclosed. Anything that would make a potential buyer change his mind about buying a property needs to be disclosed.
The home inspection must be the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer should select his own inspector. The buyer may be capable of making all the repairs himself. We never know who will be viewing our listings. The buyer may be a contractor and a repair that would cost a homeowner thousands of dollars might be a small inexpensive job to a contractor who has the right equipment and tools to repair the problem.
It’s usually not in the best interest of the homeowner to do a pre listing inspection. I see this function as a benefit to the buyer. All listing agents must think about what is best for the seller and how the seller will benefit. A pre listing inspection is nothing more than a game of chance for the seller. We’ve all had fun at the “crap table” until we lose. Once the money is swept away, the game’s over. Be cautious about what you recommend to your potential seller. Your recommendation may cost your seller some money they don’t have, and it may cost you the loss of a listing.
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