There are steps that many home sellers will take before putting their house on the market. Preparing the interior of the home for showing, improving curb appeal, looking for a listing agent, and ordering a home inspection. The benefits of a pre-listing home inspection outweigh the cost of the service. In fact, it is one of the smartest actions you can take as you prepare to sell your house.

Here are Four Major Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection:

1. Eliminate Surprises

Whether you have owned your property for a couple of years or a few decades, you probably feel as though you know it inside and out. However, a professional home inspector can detect issues you may never have encountered.

Having detailed information about the property allows the seller to fix any issues before the home is listed. It is easier for a seller to go ahead and address a problem than for the buyer’s inspection to reveal it. You won’t get caught off-guard by the buyer’s inspection report when you order a pre-listing inspection.

2. Fix Issues in Your Own Time

With an inspection report in hand, the ball is in your court as the seller. One of the biggest benefits of a pre-listing home inspection is the power to choose cost-effective repairs for your property.

There are multiple ways to address an issue found during a home inspection. You could repair the problem yourself, shop around for quotes, or disclose the problem to your potential buyers and reduce the price accordingly.

Whatever action you take, a buyer will appreciate knowing about the issue before it turns up unexpectedly in their own inspection report.

3. Build Rapport With Buyers

Confident buyers place higher offers than buyers who have doubts about your property. If you can show a potential buyer a clean pre-listing inspection report, they will have fewer reservations about doing business with you. The fact that as a seller you ordered an inspection shows that you care about the condition of your house.

Disclosing information about your property always works in your favor, be it positive information or negative. Buyers appreciate a seller that is honest and are more likely to move forward with someone they believe is trustworthy.

4. Easier Negotiations are Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection

Another of the benefits of a pre-listing home inspection comes during the negotiation process. Having inspected your property, fixed any issues, and instilled confidence in your buyer, negotiations should go smoothly and quickly.

With no surprises or defects in their own inspection report, your buyer has little reason to haggle for a lower price before closing. You have made the transaction easier for them, and in the process, you have gained their trust.

Precision Home Inspections provides home inspections for home sellers and buyers to Hampton Roads. Contact us if you are thinking about selling your home.