Home Inspection Before Listing Property

Typically, Buyers hire a home inspector after the purchase contract has been signed. The inspector then provides a list of defects, and the buyers do one of the following: ask the sellers to make repairs, to reduce the price, or sometimes to cancel the sale. When you provide a home inspection report prior to signing the contract, you can sometimes avert the process of renegotiation or at best provide the Buyers with what they can expect to find should they choose to hire their own inspector.

Essentially, there are three benefits for sellers who hire a home inspector prior to marketing a property:

1. The inspection report informs you, in advance, of any significant defects that might need attention and that could adversely affect your chances of selling the property. It affords you the opportunity to make repairs prior to sale.

2. The report enables you to provide a more thorough and complete disclosure of the property's condition. This lessens the likelihood of legal problems after the sale, when undisclosed defects might then be discovered.

3. The report provides the best basis for an as-is sale, if that is what you prefer. You can decline to make repairs while fully informing the buyers of the conditions that need repair.