You invest a great deal of time, money, and energy to market your listings, and you need to get a good return on that investment. Don’t be caught unaware of problems that could seriously undermine your dedicated efforts to sell a home, or that could keep a property from selling at its highest potential price. One of the best steps you can take to avoid this is to recommend a professional home inspection prior to listing.
A pre-listing inspection can uncover previously unknown problems – major and minor – allowing sellers the opportunity to make repairs, updates, or replacements as needed or as they wish. By addressing these issues before the home goes on the market, you can list a home with greater knowledge of its condition and have a better chance of maximizing its value. Being aware of issues in advance will also allow for disclosure of problems when selling, which can result in cleaner offers and a smoother transaction for both parties. Having well-informed sellers and buyers works to everyone’s advantage, including yours.
Be sure that the home inspection is comprehensive and that you will get the written report immediately upon completion of the inspection. This allows your sellers to get the information they need right away, so they can decide on their next steps prior to listing their home. Photos should always be part of a professional report so that full documentation of conditions is available to both the sellers and potential buyers. This is especially important when it comes to issues that might not be addressed or repaired prior to sale.
With a pre-listing inspection in hand, you can market your sellers’ homes with confidence and an eye toward better offers.