One of my recent home sellers asked about getting a pre-listing home inspection before they put their home on the market. Is it a good idea? The answer is: not necessarily.
Even if you order an inspection of your own, a buyer will also have one after the home is listed. This will cost another $500 to $1,200 depending on the inspections that they complete.
When buyers hire their own inspector, they want to get their money’s worth, so be assured that they will find many other problems with the home. No two humans are going to find the same exact issues. While you think that you will be prepared by getting a pre-listing inspection, you could still be facing many other issues that you have no idea about.
Ultimately, the decision to get a pre-listing inspection is up to you. If you are the type of person who prefers to have a little peace of mind that is afforded to you by a pre-inspection, then, by all means, get one. You may find some issues you were unaware your home had.
If you are the kind of person who really wants perfection, though, then there is no such thing. A buyer is still going to inspect the home on their own with their own inspector and find their own set of issues.
“No two humans are going to find the same exact issues in a home.”
If you do choose to inspect your home and you find something which you choose to not take care of, you will be obligated to disclose those issues in a disclosure. At the end of the day, you may make the situation worse because the buyer was not investigating that part of the house. You may end up disclosing everything which came up in the home inspection that you already paid for.
In most cases, you are better off leaving the inspection to the buyer. This is what their due diligence period is for. In the meantime, you can work with a professional such as myself to make sure your home is prepared to sell.
If you have any additional questions about this topic or are interested in buying or selling a home in Porter Ranch, please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to speak with you.
