Why Order a Pre-Listing Home Inspection

It is common for a home buyer to schedule a home inspection. Sellers can also benefit from having their home inspected before listing the property for sale. A pre-listing home inspection can be used to more accurately price your home, avoid surprises, and help you decide which repairs to make before listing.

1. Avoid Surprises

After living in a home for many years, you know that it isn’t perfect, but you might not know of specific issues and their order of importance. A pre-listing inspection will inform you of potential problems so you can avoid unpleasant surprises when the home is inspected by the buyer.

Problems like a hidden roof defect, foundation issue, or termite infestation can derail a closing. These surprises affect the value of your home, can interfere with the buyer’s ability to get a mortgage, and potentially cause the buyer to walk away from the deal.

One of the primary benefits of a pre-listing home inspection is uncovering potential issues so they can be addressed before the home is shown to buyers. Depending on the results of the inspection, you might choose to make repairs or updates to your home or change the price of your home to account for any issues.

2. Time to Fix Problems

If the inspection reveals items that need to be repaired, it’s best to find out early in the process rather than in the middle of escrow. A pre-listing home inspection gives you plenty of time to fix issues so you can make smarter decisions about home repair. When you aren’t under a time crunch, you can shop around for the best price from a contractor.

3. DIY Repairs are an Option

When the pre-listing inspection turns up minor issues that can impact your home’s value, you have the option to tackle projects on your own. Once you are negotiating with a buyer, they will likely require that you bring in a professional, even for simple fixes. This can cause easy, inexpensive projects to become more costly.

4. Reduce Negotiations

By eliminating surprises and addressing any needed repairs before the home is listed, you can shorten the negotiation process by taking defects off the table. This helps you gain the upper hand in negotiations by removing the buyer’s justification for price reductions, repairs, and other concessions.

5. Accurate Pricing

One of the most challenging aspects of selling your home is choosing a price that is fair and will help your home sell quickly. When your home is priced correctly, you get the most money possible and a quick offer. A pre-listing home inspection helps you set a reasonable price for the property being sold.

Elite Home Inspections offers pre-listing home inspections and other inspection services to Louisville and the surrounding areas. Contact us to schedule your inspection.