It sounds like a clickbait headline—this is the most important thing you need to do before you list your home to sell. “When it comes time to put your home up for sale, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity for a good investment return,” explains Dwayne Boggs, CEO of Lacey-based Boggs Inspection Services. Of all the things you can do to prepare your home before you list it, a pre-listing inspection should be top of your list he explains. A modest investment upfront for a pre-listing inspection can easily turn into thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in return with a higher final sale price.
Check out all the reasons to get a pre-listing inspection on your home before you list.
Get a True Picture of Your Home Before Putting It on the Market
Often sellers are unaware of the condition of their home. From those minor defects you pass by day in and day out, or the big warning signs you keep pushing to the back of your mind, a pre-listing inspection can uncover the good, the bad, and the ugly. Defects small and large are likely to be noticed by the buyer or their inspector. Depending on the severity or quantity of the defects, buyers could be scared off by what their inspection uncovers, prolonging closing time or even causing a sale to fall apart.
Ultimately, a pre-listing inspection dramatically decreases the likelihood of a potential buyer finding hidden and unexpected defects and backing out of the deal. A pre-listing inspection can even help you get an idea about the appropriate price point to list your home, reducing back-and-forth negotiations between buyer and seller.
Have Time to Do Repairs on Your Timeline, not a Potential Buyer’s
Hiring a contractor at the last minute to perform repairs on a tight timeline is never ideal. On top of that, many major home upgrades like HVAC replacement or roof repairs see major price bumps during certain seasons. “If a buyer’s home inspection reveals trouble with the furnace in the middle of winter, the delay could impact your closing timeline by weeks or more,” says Dwayne. “Having the inspection done before you list allows you to plan your fixes and make repairs on your timeline, not someone else’s. And receipts can be used when the house is listed to justify the price of the home during negotiations with buyers.
A Pre-Listing Inspection Might Satisfy the Buyer
Some buyers might consider the pre-listing inspection sufficient, foregoing their own inspection altogether. Buyers are on their own timeline, and if they find that you’ve had a pre-listing inspection performed by a reputable inspection service, they might be inclined to skip an inspection, especially if you can provide them with a detailed inspection report coupled with receipts for any repairs you’ve had done to fix findings in the report. This has the potential to speed up the process, which can be advantageous to both parties. “Even if the buyer decides to have their own inspection done, it will provide a great reference for comparison between the two inspections,” says Dwayne.
Help Your Home Stand Out
The best way to sell your home quickly and efficiently is to develop a high level of trust between the buyer and yourself and your agent. Beyond credibility and trust, a pre-listing inspection provides an opportunity to demonstrate confidence in the value of your home to potential buyers. With a pre-listing inspection, you place your home above other homes that might otherwise be comparable making your home more enticing to buyers, encouraging more interest and stronger offers.
Whether you plan to sell your home in a hot market or not, getting the most out of your investment means putting just a little more in at first to reap greater rewards. A pre-listing inspection is the surest tool to the greatest return on investment.
If you are planning on listing your home, and you would like a pre-listing inspection before you put your home up for sale, contact Boggs Inspection Services. The Boggs team performs inspections across Thurston, Pierce, Mason, Lewis, South King, and Grays Harbor counties. Give them a call at 360.480.9602.
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