Having your DFW area home inspected before you list it is a good idea, and in fact you should have it done. You may learn of problems with the home that you didn’t know existed, but more importantly an inspection lets a potential buyer know of any issues they may encounter with the property. Our Dallas realtors have included some of the advantages and disadvantages of a pre-listing home inspection below.
Advantages include:
You have the opportunity to make repairs. A home with few or no problems will sell for more, and often times sell more quickly as some buyers don’t want to come into a home they’re going to have to put a lot of work and effort in to. By having a pre-listing inspection, you save yourself the stress of trying to make last-minute repairs before potential buyers come in to see your home. Buyers often have their own inspection performed, so you can make sure your home’s in the best possible condition before that happens.
It makes setting the price for your home easier. If you decide not to make repairs or only repair the most serious issues, you’ll likely need to set the price a bit lower. However, if you address all of the issues uncovered in the pre-listing inspection, you can increase the selling price. The condition of your home is one factor in determining the price, so an inspection helps you and your agent decide on the best price.
Increase the buyer’s confidence through transparency. When you’re honest and show that you’ve had your home inspected, potential buyers won’t be nervous that they’re about to spend a small fortune on a home with all kinds of issues. You can also show them all of the repairs you’ve made to alleviate any doubts. You’ll likely get a better offer by sharing the inspection report with prospective buyers – especially if there aren’t any (or many) issues or you’ve made the necessary improvements.
Now for the disadvantages
There aren’t many, but the few disadvantages of having a pre-listing inspection performed is the cost (usually hundreds of dollars), disclosing any issues revealed by the inspection to the buyer (depending on the disclosure laws in your state), and having the buyer’s inspection compared to your own if you do in fact have a pre-listing inspection performed. However, if you had all of the necessary repairs done prior to listing your home for sale, you shouldn’t have any worries about the buyer’s inspection.
As you can see there is a lot that goes on when you consider selling your Dallas home. It may seem like an endless number of hoops to jump through, however working with the Dallas real estate professionals at Team Nelson can help greatly eliminate the stress and confusion. Give us a call today!