Why Do I Need A Home Inspection

The purchase of a home is probably the largest single investment you will ever make.  You should learn as much as you can about the condition of the property and the need for any major repairs before you buy, so that you can minimize unpleasant surprises and difficulties afterwards.  Of course, a home inspection also points out the positive aspects of a home as well as the maintenance that will be necessary to keep it in good shape.  After the inspection, you will have a much clearer understanding of the property you are about to purchase.  If you are already a homeowner, a home inspection may be used to identify problems in the making and to learn preventive measures, which might avoid costly future repairs.  If you are planning to sell your home, you may wish to have an inspection prior to placing your home on the market.

This will give you a better understanding of conditions which may be discovered by the buyer's inspector, and an opportunity to make repairs that will put the house in better selling condition.

Pre-Listing Home Inspection

It is pretty safe to assume that a buyer who contracts to buy your house will want to have a professional whole house inspection conducted.  Most sale contracts are written with a "contingent upon an acceptable whole house inspection" clause.  So why not wait until you have a buyer who want and will pay for an inspection?  While many sellers do wait for just this situation, there are a few compelling reasons for you, the seller, to invest in a professional whole house inspection before listing your house.

1)  If you are planning to do any cosmetic repairs before listing your house, an inspection may reveal additional defects that your cosmetic repairs could have masked.  A pre-listing inspection gives you the opportunity to fix possible underlying problems right the first time.  This saves you the time, trouble, and money of fixing a seemingly small repair, then finding out there is a larger problem, forcing you to destroy your work, fix the underlying problem, and then do the cosmetic repair all over again.

2)  You will know, in advance, of defect.  You will have an opportunity to repair them before the first potential buyer ever sees your house.  Experience has shown that when a buyer, through their own house inspection, finds a defect, they tend to look for more.

3)  A completed whole house signals to buyers that you are a conscientious seller.  If a buyer is torn between two houses - your house and another that has not been pre-inspected -- it is very possible that they may feel more comfortable with yours.

4)  It removes an "unknown" from your selling process.  There are plenty of "unknowns" when you sell a house -- when will it sell?  How much will it sell for?  Will the buyer's financing be approved?  By discovering (and repairing) any defects up front, you remove at least one uncertainty from the selling process.