Seller inspections (sometimes referred to as pre-listing
inspections) are becoming more popular because they
virtually eliminate all the pitfalls and hassles associated
with waiting to do the inspections until a buyer is found.
In many ways, waiting to schedule inspection until after a
home goes under agreement, is too late. Seller inspections
are arranged and paid for by the seller, usually just before
the home goes on the market. The seller is the inspector's
client. The inspector works for the seller and generates a
report for the seller. The seller then typically makes
multiple copies of the report and shares them with potential
buyers that tour the home for sale. Seller inspections are
a benefit to all parties in a real estate transaction. They
are a win-win-win-win. Home inspectors should consider
offering seller inspections and marketing this service to
local listing agents.
Advantages to the home inspector:
Seller inspections allow the inspector to catch
inspection jobs upstream, ahead of real estate
transactions and the competition.
Seller inspections are easier to schedule and are not
under the time constraints of sales agreement's
inspection contingencies.
Working for sellers is typically less stressful than
working for buyers about to make the purchase of their
lifetimes.
Sellers can alert the inspector to problems that should
be included in the report, answer questions about their
homes, and provide seller's disclosure statements
Repairs of problems found during seller inspections
often necessitate the need for re-inspections by the
inspector.
Seller inspections put a sample copy of
the inspector's product, the report, in the hands of
many potential buyers who will need a local inspector
soon.
Seller inspections puts a sample copy of the inspector's
product, the report, in the hands of many local buyer's
agents that tour the home.
The inspector is credited, in part, with the smoothness
of the real estate transaction by buyer, seller and
agents on both sides.
The liability of the inspector is reduced by putting
more time between the date of the inspection and the
move-in date of the buyers.
The liability of the inspector is reduced because the
inspector's clients are not buying the properties
inspected, but rather moving out of them.
The buyer might insist on hiring the seller's inspector
to produce a fresh report since the seller's inspector
is already familiar with the home.
Seller inspections provide inspectors opportunities to
showoff their services to listing agents.
Seller inspections provide examples to the listing agent
of each home, which might encourage those agents to have
other listings pre-inspected by the inspector.
Most sellers are local buyers and so many sellers hire
the inspector again to inspect the homes they are moving
to.
Advantages to the seller:
The seller can choose a certified NACHI and ASHI
inspector rather than be at the mercy of the buyer's
choice of inspector
The seller can schedule the inspections at the seller's
convenience.
It might alert the seller of any items of immediate
personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite
infestation.
The seller can assist the inspector during the
inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's
inspection.
The seller can have inspector correct any misstatements
in the inspection report before it is generated.