“Should I do a pre-listing inspection?” That’s a question I often get asked. My advice is not to do it. I could put 10 inspectors in a house and get 10 different lists of things to repair.
The reality is that most buyers will do their own inspection regardless if you have already had one done and even provide it to the buyer because they will want to verify all is in good order. Plus the pre-inspection is going to give you one list of around 10 items to do, and when the buyer comes in, they’re going to pay to have another inspector who’ll give you a different list. If you had a pre-inspection list, you might be frustrated because now you’d have another list of items to repair when the buyer hires their own inspector.
I’ve had situations where inspectors have said that X needs to be fixed, then other inspectors come in and say that it doesn’t. You need to be careful because you don’t want to waste time, energy, and money doing a pre-listing inspection when the only inspection that matters is the one that the buyer is going to do. That’s the one you need to deal with. However, if you have a major issue and you are aware of it, chances are that you’re going to have to fix it no matter what so either disclose it on your property disclosure and let buyers know you will be fixing it or fix it before you put it up for sale. In my opinion I would recommend disclose you have something you are fixing and get it on the market so you don’t miss out on this unique selling market we are in over something that you are going to be repairing anyway.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email. I’d love to hear from you.