For those selling their homes without the help of an agent, or FSBO, hiring a home inspector can seem like an unnecessary expense, but it has its advantages. For instance, home inspectors are trained to look out for any potential problems with the home’s structure that might be missed by the untrained eye.
In this blog post, you’ll learn more about the specific benefits of having a home inspector on your side as you prepare to sell your house.
Preserves your options
The most obvious benefit to hiring a certified home inspector is that he or she can tell you whether your house has major defects or problems that could cost thousands of dollars to fix. If you have big-ticket repairs on your hands, it could make sense to delay selling until you resolve those problems. But even if you don’t find any red flags, hiring an inspector can reassure buyers by demonstrating your commitment to getting as much money as possible for your property.
A buyer who feels confident in his purchase will be more likely to pay top dollar. This isn’t just about first impressions; studies show that a majority of sellers and their agents think it makes little difference. When you inspect a home inspection before listing. As I always say, ignorance can kill you in real estate. By contrast, when I asked about nearly 100 recent real estate sales transactions. How important they thought a pre-listing inspection was—more than 95 percent said they were very important or essential!
In other words, many people know about them but few actually take advantage of them. That’s like saying you want to buy life insurance but then not buying it because it costs too much. Don’t let that happen to you. You never know what could go wrong with your home once it hits the market. So why not give yourself every opportunity to get top dollar?
After all, there are no guarantees in real estate. Having a professional home inspection before you list gives you two things: peace of mind and confidence. And remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Reduces anxiety
Knowing everything about your home before you sell it can be invaluable to both buyers and sellers. While buyers don’t want to pay for things they won’t get back (like mold removal). Sellers want assurance that you address any issues before showing their home. A certified home inspector will offer both peace of mind for buyers and sellers by identifying all issues. Whether small or large—and presenting solutions to fix them.
Protects you from legal action
A certified home inspector will be able to identify any problems with your home. And bring them to your attention in his report. This way, if you are selling your home and you don’t mention certain problems. You are liable for damages after the new owner discovers them. For example, say there is some mold in your attic.
The inspector identifies it but doesn’t mention it in his report. You sell your house and move out. After you leave, someone discovers that mold and sues you for not disclosing its presence in your home. If a certified inspector had identified it during his inspection. He would have included it in his report and now you can rest easy knowing that no one can sue you. Because of something that was clearly identified as an issue before anyone bought your house.
It’s also worth noting that many states require sellers to hire a certified home inspector. Before putting their homes on the market. Failure to do so could result in fines or other legal action taken against you by state officials. However, even if your state does not require you to use a certified inspector. When selling your home, it’s still wise to invest in such services.
Doing so helps protect you from potential lawsuits and keeps everyone involved in the sale process aware of all potential risks associated with buying or living in your property. Sometimes things aren’t obvious right away, but they become clear once a professional takes a closer look at them.
Gives you a chance to fix problems before showing
A home inspection gives you an opportunity to catch any minor or major problems. That may not have been obvious before, such as leaking faucets, clogged drains, and more. A good inspector will help you prioritize what is most important to fix right away. And then give you a list of smaller problems that you can fix over time.
You’ll be able to show your potential buyers a well-maintained house with no surprises. In addition, it will give you peace of mind knowing there are no hidden issues in your home.
Another thing to consider is having older appliances checked out by a professional. An appliance repair technician can check for hidden damage on older items like washing machines and dishwashers that might not be working properly but don’t appear to need immediate attention.
These types of repairs could turn into bigger issues down the road if they aren’t fixed now when they are relatively inexpensive to fix. The seller may have even replaced these with new ones, which would make them an even better deal for you!
Adds value to your home
A home inspection before listing your property with a real estate agent not only protects you but can help buyers see what they’re getting into. The value that a home inspector provides to an existing homeowner isn’t as simple as helping them get their house ready for sale; it also gives homeowners peace of mind knowing that their home is structurally sound.
It’s important to note that just because a home inspector finds no issues doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems in your home—it just means they didn’t find any. However, if you do have problems and need repairs or renovations done on your property, hiring a professional is always better than doing it yourself.
After all, most contractors are insured and bonded and have years of experience in their field. For example, someone who is unfamiliar with construction might try to tackle a problem like fixing a leaky roof themselves—and end up making things worse. But when you hire someone who knows what they’re doing, you don’t have to worry about anything going wrong. This is why having a certified home inspector look at your property before putting it on the market is such a great idea. They will check everything from roofs to foundations and ensure that everything looks good and functions properly. This will help keep potential buyers interested, especially since many people now want to buy homes with fewer issues than ever before. You may even be able to sell your home faster if you have one less thing for potential buyers to worry about!
