How to convince your client to have a listing home inspection

Ask the following questions:

Do you want to sell faster? Would you like top dollar? Are you interested in reducing negotiating time?

Do you want to protect yourself from potential lawsuits?

To give your home a competitive edge, make sure it is in good physical condition. A listing home inspection is a prudent first step in the process of selling your home. You must present the most saleable property possible. A home inspection report will reveal the current condition of your home and guide you toward enhancing the value and marketability of your property.

Approximately half the resale homes on the market today have at least one significant defect. Most home buyers do not want to invest a great deal of money correcting problems in critical areas. If you have been putting off these repairs, now is the time to make them.

Most problems in a home are minor and can be rectified inexpensively. Sellers who live there overlook such shortcomings, but buyers focus on them. If the perceived problems do not derail the sale, they provide grounds for price negotiation.

A listing inspection enables the you to attend to problems before your home is put on the market and removes the questions for you and the home buyer about the condition of the home. Buyers are positively influenced by a professionally produced home inspection report, which improves the speed, price, and likelihood of a sale.

Some sellers elect not to correct every defect reflected in the inspection report. Instead, they acknowledge the defects to buyers and explain that the asking price has been adjusted to reflect the estimated cost of repairs. Such candor tends to shorten negotiation time because buyers have fewer objections that could foil the sale. In addition to facilitating the sale of a home, an inspection report helps comply with full-disclosure laws. By focusing on the condition of the property, the seller and Realtor are less likely to overlook a defect or material fact for which you later could be held liable. In recent years, home buyers have been inclined to file law suits against sellers and Realtors involving allegations of misrepresentation, negligence, and fraud. Some judgments against sellers and Realtors have been severe, even when the omission of facts was unintentional.

Preparing for a listing home inspection:

You should plan to accompany the inspector during the entire process.

Make sure the inspector can access all areas of the house.

Clear all furniture, boxes, clothes, toys and other personal items that may block access to the furnace, water heater, electrical panels, attic/crawl spaces, etc. Inspectors will not enter inaccessible areas.

If access to the attic or crawl space is located in a closet, remove clothing, shoes, and other items.
Not only might they be in the way, but also as the hatch is removed, debris (dust, insulation, and loose plaster) is likely to fall from the ceiling onto items left in the closet.

If you are expecting a visit from an inspector and prospective buyer:

Ensure that filters are clear in air conditioners, heaters, vents, drains, etc.
Clear out areas under sinks so they can be inspected.
Have the house cleaned thoroughly.

After the inspector departs check all locks, timers, ground fault circuits, etc.