Pre-Listing Inspections Save $$$
When you are selling your home in Knoxville or Nashville, a pre-listing inspection can prevent the stress of having to make repairs quickly.
Traditionally, after a seller receives an offer on their home from a buyer, the potential purchaser will order and pay for a home inspection.
The inspector, representing the buyer, will report to them the major issues they find with your home, giving them an advantage in the negotiations.
When you order a seller’s pre-listing home inspection, you know going in what the issues are and can take care of them ahead of time.
You can also provide copies of the inspection report to REALTORS® and potential buyers, giving them confidence that the home has already been checked out before they tour it.
Advantages for the Seller
Pre-listing inspections offer a number of advantages to the homeowner.
Hiring Your Own Inspector
- The seller can choose the home inspector of his/her choice. Our home inspectors are InterNACHI certified, and you get to choose.
- The seller’s home inspection is completed on your time schedule.
- If your home has a problem that needs immediate attention, such as water in a crawlspace, damaged windows, or leaking pipes, you have time to make repairs.
- When the buyer hires an inspector, normally the seller is not around during the inspection. When the seller hires an inspector for a pre-listing home inspection, he/she can assist the home inspector.
- The seller has time to go over the details with the inspector. This provides an opportunity to give additional input to the inspector before the report is generated.
- A seller’s home inspection can assist you in pricing the home if there are problems.
- The seller can possibly ask a higher price if he/she can show that there are no problems or the problems have been corrected.
Know What You’re Dealing With
- A seller’s home inspection reveals problems ahead of time, which:
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- Might make the home show better.
- Gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
- Permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
- Removes over-inflated buyer-procured estimates from the negotiation table.
- A pre-listing inspection can alert the homeowner to potential safety issues that may exist before allowing possible buyers onto the property.
Provides Good Marketing & Good Will
- The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
- A seller’s inspection (pre-listing inspection) permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
- A seller’s inspection (pre-listing inspection) is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
- The report might relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions before they walk away.
- The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
- The deal is less likely to fall apart when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a last-minute problem.
- The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.
Advantages for the Buyer
Pre-listing inspections offer a number of advantages to the buyer.
- There is no need for the buyer to order a home inspection.
- The seller paid for the inspection and there is no need to pay for another one unless the buyer wants it.
- You have a third party report telling you the condition of the property before you make an offer, reducing the back and forth negotiations.
- No surprises to deal with after you are emotionally and financially committed.
- Any issues with the home are acknowledged or either eliminated before the buyer makes an offer.
- Financial institutions may consider the report favorably when considering mortgage arrangements.
- A seller’s home inspection allows the buyer to sweeten the offer without increasing the offering price by waiving inspections.
Pre-Listing Home Inspection Fees
How much does a pre-listing home inspection cost?
The fee for a seller’s home inspection is based mainly on two criteria: the location of the house and the square footage. Below are the base fees for the Knoxville Area (Zone 1):
0-1000 square feet – $450.00
1001 – 2000 square feet – 475.00
2001 – 3000 square feet – $500.00
The inspection fee increases just $50.00 per every 1,000 square feet above 3,000. Prices also increase the farther from downtown Knoxville we are required to drive. Please give us a call for an exact price quote.
Common Myths
Don’t believe the common myths about pre-listing inspections.
Q. Seller’s home inspections kill deals by forcing sellers to disclose defects they otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
A. A defect material enough to kill a real estate transaction is likely going to be uncovered by the buyer’s home inspection. It is best to discover the problem ahead of time and deal with it before it can kill the deal.
Q. A newer home in good condition doesn’t need an inspection anyway. Why should the seller have one done? There are two answers to this question.
A. Buyer’s almost always order a home inspection, and increasingly on brand new construction, so the property is going to be inspected. Take advantage of the opportunity to inspect it on your timetable.
A. A home inspector’s job is to produce an objective report about the property you want to sell. If the property is truly in great shape, the inspection report becomes a useful marketing piece for your real estate professional. An added benefit is that the report was generated by an impartial party.
