Why Get a Home Inspection

If you are selling a home, you'll get the highest price in the shortest time if your home is in top condition. Almost all sales contracts include an "inspection contingency:" the contract is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory inspection.  The buyers will insist on a professional home inspection by an inspector they will hire. If the buyers inspector finds a problem, it can cause the buyer to get cold feet and the deal can fall through. At best, surprise problems uncovered by the buyers inspector will cause delays in closing, and  you may have to pay for repairs at the last minute, or take a lower price on your home.

Its better to get your own inspection before putting your home on the market. It will make the whole sale process easier. You will have the option to repair any problems or disclose them, and thus avoid having the buyer haggling with you over the price because their inspector found undisclosed problems. 

If any problems are discovered, you can have them done on your own terms, on your own schedule. When a problem isnt found until the buyer has an inspection performed, the deal you've worked so hard to get done may fall apart unless you act quickly to get the repairs done. Or you may have to take a lower price, in order to keep the deal moving. In either case, youll almost certainly have more headache, and spend more money, than if youd known about the problem and had it repaired before negotiations began. You could save thousands by simply being able to shop around and get competitive bids from contractors, rather than being forced into paying for a rush job at the last minute.

You may simply offer certain items as is. A buyer may be willing to accept items in the current condition if they are reflected in the purchase price. But that same buyer may walk away from the deal if the conditions come as a surprise, after the offer has already been made. If the home is inspected before the house goes on the market you will be aware of the condition of the house before an offer is made. There wont be surprises. It takes a lot of effort to get a sales agreement signed in the first place. If the inspection turns up problems, the buyer will want to negotiate a new deal and that second sales agreement is usually even harder to get done than the first one.

By having a pre-listing inspection, you can identify problems early. Then either correct them or present them as is, assuring that the first offer you accept can move quickly and smoothly to closing without delays or costly surprises.