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The scenario places the homeowner and listing agent in the position of wandering and waiting to hear the results of the home inspection. The seller can and may be totally surprised by a major concern that must now be addressed at the 11th hour. The buyer may now want the seller to pay to for the requested repairs, reduce the sales price of the house or in worst case scenario, return their earnest money and void the sales contract.

Having a Pre-List Inspection performed on the home can help avoid some of these scenarios. First and foremost, you will be pro-active, instead of reactive, in knowing and understanding the current condition of your home.

Advantages of having a Pre-List Inspection on a home you’re selling:

1. You’re being Pro-active and not reactive;
2. You gain valuable information “first” regarding the current condition of your home;
3. You eliminate the “shock value” of having someone else tell you the condition of your home
4. The report can help the seller and listing agent realistically price the house:
   (a) you may identify and perform the needed repairs and be able to substantiate a higher price if the problems have been corrected; (b) price and sell the home “as is”. Both of these approaches can and may reduce negotiations in the sales contract.
5. The seller may wish to attach paid invoices for repairs made for the buyer to view. This can and may reduce some of the buyers’ anxiety and suspicions.
6. The report can give you insight on some areas you may wish to upgrade (i.e. Smoke detectors, GFCI protected circuits)
7. It shows the potential buyer that you are acting in good faith rather than receiving the buyer’s inspection report and saying “I didn’t know anything about that”. This situation can and may make a buyer reluctant or even suspicious.
8. Spending a few hundred dollars upfront on repairs can and may save a homeowner thousands when repairs are negotiated by the buyer to reduce the sales price of your home due to needed repairs. (Generally negotiated repairs are valued at inflated prices versus the actual cost of the repairs)

Hope this information helps and Good Selling to You!

Note: The content here is based solely on my opinion, experience, and knowledge of home inspections. Additional sources of any information that may appear in the letter will be so noted. This newsletter is the exclusive property of Arrow Home Inspection Service, LLC. Any use, duplication, and/or distribution of this letter (in part or in whole of its content) by anyone and to anyone other than the intended recipient(s) by any unauthorized persons is prohibited.

Arrow Home Inspection Service, LLC, copyright © 2011