Three Reasons Why You Should Have a Home Inspection Before You List Your Home
A home inspection before I list my Charlotte NC home? Isn’t that something that the buyer will do?
These are the questions I’m asked when I sit down with sellers to recommend a “pre-inspection” before putting their home on the market. The answers that I give these Charlotte NC home sellers are “yes, you should” and “yes, they will”. Unfortunately, I haven’t been very convincing to date as most sellers have been unwilling to do the pre-inspection. But when home sellers have taken my advice, their home selling outcome has improved greatly.
In a few days, the way that Charlotte NC real estate is bought and sold will change dramatically. After January 1, 2011, the the NC Offer to Purchase and Contract will convert to a “due diligence” form where buyers will be given a period of time in which to investigate the property and then make a decision whether they want to continue with the transaction or terminate it for any reason or no reason at all.
Terminate for any reason or no reason at all.
I believe more strongly than ever that a home inspection before listing will benefit the seller in this environment. Not convinced? Please read these real-life stories of my sellers who did save or could have saved themselves heart-ache, time and money with a pre-inspection.
Here are three reasons why you should have a home inspection before you list your Charlotte NC home.
- A pre-inspection will give you the information you need to negotiate a better home price with the buyer. Recently, one of my home sellers negotiated a rock-bottom price with his buyer. The buyer’s home inspector found extensive hail damage to the roof of the home. Now this seller will net thousands of dollars less from his property than he anticipated. Had he done a pre-inspection, he would have been able to negotiate this big-ticket repair into the price of the home. And used a brand new roof as a benefit for potential buyers.
- A pre-inspection will identify major repairs that are sure to derail a transaction. Another of my home sellers decided to have a pre-inspection of his almost thirty year old home. When the home inspector got to the crawl space, he discovered extensive standing water, fallen and waterlogged insulation, and fungus on the floor system. What would most buyers do with news like this from their home inspector? Probably back out of the transaction. In this case, the seller was able to take his time to discover the source of the problem and complete the repairs before any buyer set foot on the property.
- A pre-inspection may make it easier to sell your property “as is”. A home seller who inherited her mother’s fifty year old home decided to have it inspected. The home inspection revealed several major defects as well as some minor items that needed repair. This home seller did not have the funds to do these repairs so she decided to disclose all the deficiencies of the property with the goal of selling the property “as is”. She was able to find buyers who wanted to renovate the home themselves. Buyers and seller negotiated a price both thought fair for the current condition of the property. After giving themselves a due diligence period, these buyers closed the home without the seller having to spend any time or money on repairs.
When I sit down with you to discuss how to get your property ready for the market, please think very carefully about having a home inspection done before you list. The money you spend on that inspection may save you thousands of dollars and eliminate a lot of headaches later. Besides, don’t you think that a home buyer will find your pre-inspected home much more appealing than competing properties that haven’t been inspected?
Learn more about the new due diligence contracts and how to be a successful home seller after the change.
Two Words Every Charlotte NC Home Buyer and Home Seller Should Know
Charlotte NC Home Sellers Have New Homeowners Association Disclosure Requirements
Want to know more about selling your Charlotte NC home? Click here for a free online market analysis.
Copyright 2010. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Three Reasons Why You Should Have a Home Inspection Before You List Your Home*
Discover Charlotte North Carolina's Best Small Towns
Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors has helped people find the right homes and neighborhoods in Charlotte North Carolina's best small towns for twenty five years.
Call Carol Fox at 704-814-6242
to list your property for sale or to purchase a home in
Matthews NC, Mint Hill NC and the small towns of Union County NC, including Stallings NC, Indian Trail NC, Weddington NC, Waxhaw NC, Lake Park NC, Marvin NC, Wesley Chapel NC and Monroe NC.
Search for homes and learn more about these communities
at www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.
