Home

Seller Inspections

Seller Inspections: Streamlining Real Estate Transactions.

by Nick Gromicko
Former REALTOR and Founder of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors
 
Seller inspections (sometimes referred to as pre-listing inspections) are becoming more popular because they virtually eliminate all the pitfalls and hassles associated with waiting to do the inspections until a buyer is found.  In many ways, waiting to schedule inspections until after a home goes under agreement, is too late.  Seller inspections are arranged and paid for by the seller, usually just before the home goes on the market.  The seller is the inspector's client.  The inspector works for the seller and generates a report for the seller.  The seller then typically makes multiple copies of the report and shares them with potential buyers that tour the home for sale.  Seller inspections are a benefit to all parties in a real estate transaction.  They are a win-win-win-win. 
  
Advantages to the seller:
  • The seller can choose a certified InterNACHI inspector rather than be at the mercy of the buyer's choice of inspector.
  • The seller can schedule the inspections at the seller's convenience.
  • It might alert the seller of any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
  • The seller can assist the inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's inspection.
  • The seller can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.
  • The report can help the seller realistically price the home if problems exist.
  • The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don't exist or have been corrected.
  • A seller inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:
    • might make the home show better.
    • gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
    • permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
    • removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.
  • The report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
  • The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
  • A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
  • A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
  • The report might relieve a prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.
  • A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
  • The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
  • The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer's inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.
  • The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.