The Benefits of a Seller Inspection



Eventually your potential buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:

  1. You can choose a certified InterNACHI Inspector, rather than be at the mercy of the buyer’s choice of inspector.
  2. You can schedule the inspection for a time that is convenient for you.
  3. It might alert you to any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
  4. You can assist the inspector during the inspection, something not normally done during a buyer’s inspection.
  5. You can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.
  6. The report can help you realistically price the home if problems exist.
  7. The report can help you substantiate a higher asking price if problems don’t exist or have been corrected.
  8. A seller inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:
    - might make the home show better
    - gives you time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors
    - permits you to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report
    - removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table
  9. The report might alert you to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
  10. The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
  11. You can use a clean home inspection report as a marketing tool.
  12. A seller initiated report is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
  13. The report might relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions before they walk away.
  14. A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
  15. The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
  16. The deal is less likely to fall apart the way that often occurs when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem at the last minute.
  17. The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.

Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers.