The more I work with sellers and the more I encourage them to do a pre-listing inspections, the more I am convinced it’s the only way to effectively sell a home. And I am also convinced as I sell personal properties, I will always do an inspection. Now I understand it might not be financially doable for everyone, but if it is, it really can save you time, headache, and money.
Here are 2 examples:
I suggested a pre-listing inspection for a home down South, just outside of Sunriver. They found a short list of things to repair, but within the list was a ventilation issue in their attic. Further investigation brought out the fact that they were beginning to have mold growing in their attic. We put a stop to the listing process, got the issue professionally and fully handled, and then listed the home. Within a couple months we had closed and they had moved on with very little hassle during the process. Finding something like that in the middle of a deal, can be a huge issue, especially something like mold, that some buyers are pretty scared of.
Another time I suggested a pre-listing inspection for an older home in Sisters. They had a pretty long list of things to repair, but prioritized and handle a good chunk of the list. Most things they were able to handle and had a few larger issues handled by professionals. Now if a buyer had seen that long of a list, they would most likely have either been scared off or maybe required professional contractors fix everything. But, since the sellers took our advice, most everything was repaired prior to listing and they did the repairs for significantly less than having a contractor do every single thing. Seller saved some money and buyers got a perfectly sound house (they even had their own inspector check the house and all of the seller’s repairs checked out).
The best thing you can do to help the process be as smooth as possible is prepare your home prior to listing it. It will cut down on what the buyer asks for and what you will need to do in what is a fairly stressful time. Get a good agent, trust their advice, and communicate so you know what is coming up ahead – that will make things significantly easier every time.