When the time nears to sell your home, one extra bit of due diligence can pay off in the most meaningful way: helping you to get the best return on your investment. It’s not a requirement that every listing agent may suggest, but particularly if yours is an older home, it is one you should consider: ordering an advance inspection.
Ordering your own advance inspection, like the proverbial ‘stitch in time,’ can alert you to deferred maintenance items that might conk out just as you’re preparing a big showing. Things do have a remarkable tendency to cause trouble at the most inconvenient time. Even more likely, maintenance items that you have long accepted but which might sour a buyer will be spotlighted early. Curing them before your buyer insists upon it prevents receiving demands for overly extensive cures for simple problems. A listing agent who knows that a home that has already passed an inspection also knows that it is that much more likely to sail through closing. It becomes a marketing asset.
A home inspector will typically examine areas of your home such as the roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and structure. Some will even conduct radon and lead paint tests, and do a check of your crawlspace or attic. If you elect for a home inspection prior to listing your home for sale, you will be able to confirm that major elements of the home are in saleable working order -- and can market the property as such. What potential buyer doesn’t want to hear that when considering writing an offer?
But most important from a listing agent’s point of view is the ability to avoid surprises in escrow. Most listing agents will be quick to agree that the more things that go wrong in a home inspection, the more antsy a buyer can become about the wisdom of the purchase. Otherwise perfect home-to-buyer matches can be lost over minor hitches discovered at the last minute. If a list of even small problems is lengthy, it might seem daunting enough to derail a sale. And any repair becomes more costly if a rush job is required.
If you’re preparing to sell your home, talk to your listing agent about the appropriateness of an advance home inspection. Numerous professionals are available who can help you determine if your home is ready to sell. The National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) has over 1,500 members -- and I will be happy to offer trustworthy local referrals anytime.
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