Pre-listing home inspection

As I was teaching a home inspection course at a local college this spring, it occured to me that it would be a great idea to have every listing pre-inspected prior to putting it out for any potential buyer or even a preview by another agent.  That would bring up any potential issues that could be resolved ahead of time and especially if there were major problems like mold or rotting that could scare off potential buyers.

A case in point: recently one of the other agents in my office had a contract on what appeared to be a nicely renovated house.  The buyers were thrilled! Then came the home inspection and what was found in the crawl space killed the deal....

If the seller were to alleviate any issues ahead of time, the buyers would be more likely to think that the home was well taken care of!  Sometimes we forget about the 'bones' of the house and just dress up what we can see....