Your family’s growing or your eldest son’s leaving the nest, and you’ve decided to move. So you put your current home for sell and quickly receive an enticing offer. That’s when the potential buyer mandates a pre-purchase inspector to check your house. This inspection reveals a major water leakage problem in the attic. With a reasonable doubt now implanted in his mind, the buyer hesitates then backs out and the sale falls through, delaying at the same time your project to move. Avoid such worries and read our review to find three good reasons to have your home inspected before putting it up for sale.

1. Reduces stress towards the pre-purchase inspection

Selling a home involves taking certain inevitable steps and the buyer’s pre-purchase inspection is an important one. But if this step is essential, it is also the one that provides the most stress for the seller. Occurring after the seller and the buyer have agreed on the price and the official offer is done and accepted, this inspection is often negatively perceived by most vendors, because it can lead to strenuous negotiations or even the cancellation of the sale. Yet there is a simple and affordable way to protect you against the stress caused by this important step yet and greatly reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises: the pre-listing or pre-sale inspection.

During the pre-listing inspection, the inspector acts as an advisor to the client. He gives recommendations for the general preparation of his house before the sale. He indicates which problematic aspects, whether big or small, need correcting and how, for a leaky faucet can have just as much a negative impact than a leaking roof to some buyers. The report will summarize the problems of the home and, regardless of the work he’ll decide to perform or not, the seller will at least know what to expect during the coming pre-purchase inspection. Moreover, with this report in hand, the seller can justify the asking price to potential buyers.

2. Inspires confidence to buyers and eases the transaction

The professional association of notaries says that carrying out a pre-listing inspection “does not prevent the buyer from retain the services of his own inspector, but demonstrates the seriousness of the seller and secures potential buyers.” In fact, the pre-listing inspection goes well beyond only getting a better idea of the overall condition of a building: it is also very useful for the seller who wishes to guard himself as much as possible from any legal action.

Considering the magnitude that may take legal action, it is highly recommended to all sellers to hide nothing and to be as transparent as possible about the condition of the building. It is better to reduce the selling price of a few hundred dollars immediately rather than risk having to pay thousands in legal fees later. In addition, a vendor who hides a problem he knows will be required to pay the damages suffered by the buyer. Acting with transparency upstream, allows to get rid of possible complications later.

Be as transparent as possible and disclose all you know about the building so you can avoid future legal complications. And to do that, your best tool remains the Vendor Declaration form for the seller to provide the most accurate picture possible of the house. By entering every glitch and hitch, the seller brings everything out in the open and guards himself against all future claims from the buyer on these specific points. By joining your pre-sale inspection report to your vendor declaration, you demonstrate your good faith and prove that you have taken every means possible to paint an accurate picture of your property. But beyond the trust you inspire, remember that every inspection to which you submit your house (pre, pre-sales, expertise, etc.) reduces the risk of legal action against you later.

3. Gives yourself time to do the work required at a reasonable cost

A survey across Canada with building inspectors revealed that the number one problem emerging during inspections was poor drainage around the house. In second place came the disturbances in the electrical system, closely followed by damage to the roof. Since these problematic situations can be expensive to correct it is to the advantage of the seller to know of their existence beforehand. This will allow you time to shop adequately for contractors, to get some bids and a fair price. Such is not always the case when the work must be done at the very last minute.

We must not forget that if a problematic situation appears during a pre-sale or pre-listing inspection, it is likely that it will most certainly come up in the pre-purchase inspection also. The seller may ask you to correct it or negotiate the asking price down. And let it be said that the asked reduction may greatly exceed the amount you had planned for the repair work. This difference is not the result of greed, but rather from the normal desire on buyer’s behalf to protect himself. A pre-sale inspection allows you to take the lead, do the work at a reasonable price and eliminate the lengthy negotiations that can make you lose your sale altogether.

The pre-sale or pre-listing inspection gives seller crucial information on the general state of the building and allows him enough time to prepare his house to the visits from potential buyers and their inspector. To inspect a home before placing it on the market is a logical way to ensure everyone gets the most out of the real estate transaction. If you want to sell your home, get a better idea of its general state or are wondering what repairs might be needed, visit our inspection page and learn more about our pre-listing inspections and pre-purchase inspection services.