I covered this recently, but there was one other thing I neglected to mention...
If you are getting ready to put your home on the market... or you WILL be doing so in the near future, it might not be a bad idea to get a "Pre-Listing Inspection."
Yep. It is the same inspection your buyer would get when your house goes under contract. However, the advantage of getting this done before listing the house is that you will have the opportunity to correct any deficiencies. In addition, you can show the report, and then show that all of the deficiencies have been corrected.
There are a couple of bonuses here.
- There isn't that wondering during the inspection as to whether the inspector will find something.
- Pricing can be more accurate to reflect any known issues.
- Seller's Disclosure will be more complete.
Oddly, some listing agents not only don't advise their sellers to do this, but counsel their sellers not to be present during an inspection. They will also choose to not be present during an inspection. There is only one reason for this, and it isn't a good one...
They want to be able to deny anything found during the inspection.
Sorry, but I think that is very short-sighted. With the litigiousness of some people in the world. Showing that you have made a good faith effort to find any deficiencies with your property, and correct them prior to selling tells a judge that you are operating with integrity.
Think about it for a moment. Does sticking one's head in the sand make the problem go away? Would you rather buy from a seller and agent that have taken the extra step of getting an inspection and fixing everything it turned up, or from a seller and agent that doesn't want to hear about anything they don't already know... for plausible deniability?
There is a lot of competition in the market for the buyers to peruse. Going the extra mile and presenting YOUR property as the one that is most attractive, and will be trouble free may be the difference between a sale and an expired listing.
When you are ready to talk to an agent that is ready for the extra mile... call me.
