What is a pre-inspection?
A pre-inspection is when you are going to list your home for sale, but inspect your home before putting it on the market. This way you know about and can fix issues that arise before listing. A home inspector will check everything from the outside to the inside of your home checking the mechanicals, electrical system, plumbing, and more. The buyer who purchases your home will most likely do a home inspection and have that as a contingency when they write an offer on your home. Letting the buyers see the pre-inspection and the items you remedied could give the buyer peace of mind before they even write an offer.
A pre-inspection can be great for selling your home, but it also has it’s bad side. Know the pros and cons of a pre-inspection before you decide for yourself...
Pros
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Allows you to know potential “deal killer” defects with your home so you can fix it
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Allows you to provide peace of mind to potential buyers by showing them the pre-inspection report and things you have fixed (if any were needed)
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Can improve the likelihood of the sale of your home to close on time by avoiding time consuming repairs and inspections
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Improves chances of passing the buyer’s home inspection
Cons
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You might discover a bigger, larger, more expensive issue with your home than you were prepared for. The buyer would likely find these issues anyway.
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Once you or your real estate agent become aware of an issue with your home, you must disclose it to the potential buyer
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Cash out of pocket before even selling your home is never ideal, but you can always adjust the price of your home accordingly
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Even if you fix issues on your pre-inspection report, a buyer may come back with more things their home inspector found that they want fixed
Before you decide to do a pre-inspection, think about the pros and cons. Sometimes it is worth it to inspect your home before listing it. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense for your situation. Talk to your real estate agent about doing a pre-inspection, get their opinion on whether or not it could help the sale of your home go faster and smoother.
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