Should I have a home inspection before listing my house for sale?

Should you have a home inspection before listing my house for sale?

The owner of this home opted to have a pre-listing home inspection.

Do you want to be the first or the last person to find out your house has a problem?

Having a home inspection before you list your house will help avoid unpleasant last-minute surprises and give you time to get the best price on any repairs, rather than making rushed decisions or being pressured to offer a credit or price cut that is more than the repair may have cost.

The important caveat is that any material defects that are found during the inspection must be disclosed to potential buyers unless you fix them (and sometimes even then). Again, the question is would you rather have the chance to replace that failed tub diverter yourself, or wait until the buyers ask for a $250 credit to have a plumber fix it?

I don’t want to gloss over the real risk of having to deal with a major repair when you thought you’d be focusing on your upcoming move. I recently had clients discover a structural problem in their crawl space during a pre-listing inspection. It was costly to repair. However, finding out in advance meant they could vet possible contractors and get competitive bids. If they had already been under contract and the buyers were the first to know, the whole deal could have fallen apart or the buyers could have demanded a significant credit or price reduction.

Other clients have been fortunate to have a home inspection result in a short list of small items they were able to knock out before listing. Then they left out the home inspection on the kitchen counter for potential buyers to review.

Carefully consider the pros and cons of a pre-listing home inspection based on how long you’ve been in your home, how well you know it and maintain it, and the condition of current competing listings. If you want to discuss your options, call me at 646-898-6901.