Listing your home? Consider a home inspection before marketing.
Advice for home sellers, determining timing, dealing and paying for inspection repairs |
Information provided by EFynch, a home improvement platform aiming to automate social media recommendations and provide community members with un-biased advice.
Washington D.C: Getting ready to sell your home? Then you should also get ready for the home inspection which will undoubtedly return several items (some you might have not even known about).
This is inevitable and it typically launches a new round of negotiations in which a list is provided and the buyer either asks for the repair to be performed, or concessions.
**AVOID FINANCIAL CONCESSIONS, you ALWAYS loose out.**
Your other option is to have the repairs performed yourself. Typically, the repairs stipulate the work must be carried out by a licensed and qualified contractor or tradesman. Forget DIY approach at this stage.
So, we recommend taking a solid look at your home BEFORE putting it on the market. Get a jump start on repairs that you know will ultimately be performed in order to save time, money, and frustration.
Here is why:
1. The inspection report often request using specific trades (like hiring an electrician to repair a doorbell, or a plumber to fix a faucet- 2 tasks that a qualified handyman might have been able to perform for half the cost.). When you make repairs before marketing, you have the freedom to choose who you like. ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL REPAIRS OR DONE PROPERLY, YOU DON'T WANT TO "DOUBLE REPAIR".
2. Many items might have been visible when the buyer toured, even if they were not highlighted. Most offers are based on "gut decisions" by the buyer. During a tour, even the smallest details can sit in the back of their mind and in a round-about way, effect the offer.
3. You will have to pay for many repairs. With program like Settle Rite's home & inspection repair with payment deferral, the price is the same whether you make repairs before going to market or after an inspection. So, perform these up front and potentially increase the value of the offers received.
In Summary: The fact of the matter is that most inspection items fall on you, the seller. Doing work before putting your home on the market gives less reasons for a Buyer to complain when negotiation time comes.
In the U.S. each year, 5% of all home contracts fall through and the top reason is the Inspection Report. Why now reduce the number of items that would be on the list? It's a no brainier!
The information above is for conversational purposes only. It is not meant to give legal advice and is not predicting the outcome of your particular situation. The data and theories are deemed liable but we highly recommend you speak with your Realtor before taking any measures. Always check with your municipality regarding licensing and permits then use the appropriate professionals to carry out all home improvements. The ideas above were formulated using logic- depending on your municipality, logic may/ may not have been used in determining the rules- so check with them first :)