“Maximizing Your Home’s Value: The Benefits and Risks of a Pre-Listing Inspection”

Do you want to know what a Home Pre-Listing Inspection is and how it can help you sell your home faster? These are the tested, tried and true steps you need to know about.

Preparing to put your home on the market? If you’re looking to dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s before listing a house, then you may want to consider arranging for home pre-listing inspection. As anyone who’s sold a house knows, the inspection of your house can make or break a home sale.

This post is all about explaining what is a pre-listing home inspection and the do’s and don’ts of getting one.

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Most often, homebuyers make the sale contingent on the home’s inspection. Not only does an inspection give buyers a clear picture of what they’re purchasing, but it may also give them leverage when it comes to renegotiating the sales price. For instance, if the inspection finds something wrong with the home that the buyers deem unacceptable, then they may be able to get the sellers to agree to a lower purchase price before closing. Oftentimes, sellers end up paying for repairs and making concessions in order to ensure that the sale goes through.

For sellers, who wish to avoid any unwelcome surprises (and possible expenses) in the inspection report, it might be helpful to consider paying for a pre-listing home inspection prior to selling their house.

A home pre-listing inspection is an inspection arranged by the seller and conducted by a certified inspector that is completed before the home is listed for sale. Ultimately, this inspection could end up saving the seller from having to lower their price. For more information on the benefits and downsides of paying for a home pre-listing inspection, read our Q&A below.

What is a home pre-listing inspection?

A pre-listing home inspection is simply a home inspection that is paid for by the sellers and performed prior to putting a home on the market. A home inspection typically gives the seller (or buyer) information about the home’s overall condition as well as the condition of individual systems within the home.

If you decide to order a pre-listing home inspection, you’ll likely see information about the condition of the home’s roof, exterior, garage, interior, structural components, plumbing system, electrical system, heating/ central air conditioning system, insulation and ventilation, appliances, lawn sprinklers, swimming pools and overall safety – just to name a few.

An inspection could last anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the size of the home and the thoroughness of the inspector.

How much does a home inspection cost?

According to HomeAdvisor, the average home inspection costs around $315 and ranges from $278 to $399. The website points out that while inspections of small homes and condos under 1,000 square feet only cost around $200, inspections of larger homes can run $400 or more. You may have to pay extra for mold and Radon testing. Having the house inspected for pests will likely cost extra as well, and you may need to hire a separate pest control service to conduct the inspection.

What are the benefits of conducting a pre-listing home inspection?

For many sellers, conducting a pre-listing home inspection is worth the money. Here are a few benefits to having a home inspection prior to listing your home.

1. There will be fewer surprises during the buyer’s inspection
   Preempt the buyer’s inspection by conducting your own beforehand. By arranging for your own inspection before the buyer, you’ll have more time to find and fix existing problems with the home.
2. It might prevent buyers from renegotiating the sales price
   Oftentimes, buyers use inspection issues to try and renegotiate the sales price or ask for other concessions. Finding and fixing any major problems with the house before putting it on the market may prevent this from happening.
3. You’ll have more confidence in your listing price
   Thinking of pricing your home high? If so, having an inspection could help you feel more confident in your listing price and in your home, in general. You’ll know that any major problems have been addressed and fixed. If, however, the inspection comes back with a multitude of problems that you aren’t willing to fix, you may want to consider lowering the price to compensate for the issues.

{RELATED – 5 HOME IMPROVEMENTS TO INCREASE YOUR VALUE}

What are the downsides to paying for a pre-inspection

Not every seller is willing to spend time and money on a home inspection prior to putting their home on the market. Here are a few downsides to paying for a pre-listing home inspection.

1. It costs money
   If you have a large home, a home inspection could cost $400 or more. For those looking to save their money, we recommend passing on the pre-listing home inspection. Instead, focus on what you can do to improve your home’s condition before putting it on the market.
2. Different certified inspectors have different styles
   Typically, there are plenty of certified home inspectors for hire available to buyers and sellers. It’s unlikely that the buyer and seller will choose the same inspector – and different inspectors have different inspection styles. While some inspectors are very thorough and detail-oriented, others are not. As the seller, your inspection report could look completely different from the buyer’s report – depending on who you hire. For instance, your inspector could flag a number of issues with the roof or HVAC, while the buyer’s inspector could miss these details altogether.
3. It brings all the problems with your home to light
   Of course, you may not want to know about all the problems with your home. Most states require that sellers disclose certain known issues with a home to buyers. For instance, you may have to disclose any known water damage issues or problems with pests. But if you don’t know about the problems, you won’t necessarily be held liable for these issues after the sale of a home.

Bottom Line:

The decision to pay for a pre-listing home inspection ultimately comes down to your estimated return on investment. The smaller the home, the less the cost will be. If you predict that your home has underlying problems that could cause issues with buyers, then it might be worth it to pay for one.

That being said, if the home is in poor condition – or is a self-described “tear down” – and buyers are planning to renovate or redo the home anyway, then don’t waste the money on one.

How else can you prepare for putting your home on the market?

In addition to a pre-listing home inspection, here are a few other ways you can prepare for putting your home on the market:

• Enlist cleaners to do a deep clean of the home
• Hire a seasoned and trustworthy Realtor
• Research nearby comps and your local housing market before pricing the home.
• Make a list of all additions, renovations, upgrades and changes you’ve made to the home since purchasing it.
• Declutter, depersonalize and stage the home for pictures and showings
• Paint the walls a neutral color
• Call a handyman to make any necessary repairs before listing the home

Ready to move?

So, your home passed an inspection with flying colors, and the sale went through without a hitch. Congratulations! Now it’s time to start planning that move. To help make your upcoming move easier, we recommend hiring professionals to handle the heavy lifting.

Fortunately, Moving.com’s extensive network of reputable and reliable movers makes it easy to book the best moving company for the job. All relocation companies in our network are licensed and insured, so you can rest assured that your move will be in good hands. Best of luck and happy moving!

This post was all about teaching you the do’s and don’ts of a home pre-listing inspection and if you should get one.