Sellers

The are important benifits for a sellers inspection, and considering the current sales climate sellers should seriously conisder them.  First, there is something wrong with every home.  Sellers are often surprised when a home inspector works for their buyer and finds issues that the seller was unaware of.  The Devil you know is better then the Devil you don't.  Identifying potential "deal breakers" before hand is a big plus.  Many buyers think they need the most extensive repair or they are using such information as a bargaining chip.  Either way, it all ads up to a difficult last minute sales situation.

Knowing serious problems before hand allows a home seller to eliminate serious defeciencies in a manor and cost of their choosing.  If they choose not to repair a particular problem, knowing the issue before hand can still help a seller better deal with the issue when it comes up at sale.

A pre-listing inspection also helps a seller properly fill out their state required disclosure statement.  A disclosure statement is a form that all sellers are required to submit when selling their home.  It is a list of everything that is wrong with the home.  Buyers often don't know what is wrong with their home when filling the form.  However, if a (legal) question arrises after purchase, problems not listed on a disclosure statement and the courts may assume otherwise.  It is then up the sellers prove they did not know of the problem.

Filling out a disclosure statement with the help of a inspectors report limits the liability of a seller because it proves they intended to provide adaquet information.  Additionally, most buyers are more willing to accept defeciencies when listed on a disclousre then when the same issues are brought up by their inspector.

A pre-listing inspection can also help a seller market their home.  A seller can provide the inspection report with the disclosure statement.  Also included can be copies of contractor reciepts and proof of repairs for serious issues.  Some common issues can be inexpensively corrected, yet they can go along way to showing a buyer that a seller has improved the home.  Upgrading GFCI outlets is just one of many examples.