Pros of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection

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Selling anything to people is hard. But when the thing you are trying to sell is a house, the level
of difficulty goes into the stratosphere. Prospective homebuyer's have to cross major hurdles to
reach the point where they are finally ready to buy a home. After going through all that stress,
the last thing they want is to buy a home they will be unhappy with in the future. That is why
most homebuyer's are typically slow to make buying decisions.
The majority of them want to be sure of every aspect of a home before they commit to buying it.
And even when they have agreed with the seller on price, they are still not convinced. That's why
buyers conduct a home inspection before paying for a home. The inspection helps to assure the
buyer that they are making the right decision in buying that particular home, explains McCaw
Management in Dallas/Fort Worth. But while home inspections help buyers, they can be a
problem for sellers.
Because home inspections happen after a seller has agreed on the sales price with the buyer, but
before the buyer pays for the home, they can be gut wrenching. The inspection can undo all that
the seller has done to get to that point. That is why sellers typically view this part of the sales
process with fear. However, there is a way for homeowners to minimize the uncertainty of the
home inspection; they can have a pre-listing home inspection.

What is a pre-listing home inspection?
A pre-listing home inspection is the same as a home inspection. Its difference is in its timing and
in who pays for it. Unlike the home inspection, which happens after a buyer has agreed to buy
the home; the pre-listing home inspection takes place before the seller puts their home on sale.
Secondly, it is paid for by the seller, not the buyer. Why would a seller add the extra cost of a
pre-listing home inspection to the expense of selling their home?

There are good reasons for doing this. Below we explain the good and the bad things about
conducting a home inspection before you list your home.
Pros of a pre-listing home inspection

1. Minimize stress
As already explained, having a pre-listing home inspection can help homeowners be more
confident when selling their home. Knowing that a buyer's home inspection will not reveal
anything that can upset the sale can be very reassuring.

2. Price the home accurately
Knowing the actual condition of their home gives sellers a more accurate basis for setting the
sales price. It also offers them an edge during negotiations because their pricing is not arbitrary
but based on provable facts about the home they are selling.

3. A chance to make important repairs
Homeowners will usually take steps to improve their home before they put it on the market.
Most sellers focus on aesthetic improvements. But conducting a pre-listing home inspection can
provide vital information that helps owners make more functional repairs to the home.

4. Reduce the likelihood of re-negotiations
After the home inspection, if they don't walk away, many buyers use the inspection report as a
basis for renegotiating the sales price. And if they try to negotiate the price downwards, they may
press the seller to do repairs before they pay for the home. A pre-listing inspection reduces the
chances of this happening.

5. Give buyers more confidence
During business transactions, there is mutual suspicion on the part of the buyer and seller. But
when the seller can hand the buyer a copy of a home inspection report from a neutral third party,
it reduces the buyer's suspicion that the seller may be hiding something.

6. Makes the estate agent's job easier
Selling is easier when sellers know the true condition and actual value of what they are trying to
sell. The home inspection can help the seller's real estate agent do a better job of convincing
buyers. The agent can speak with greater confidence.

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