Should You Get a Pre-Sale Home Inspection?

Unless you’re in a seller’s market where you can expect many offers, quickly, it might make sense to get a pre-sale home inspection.

It can give your listing a competitive advantage.

What is it? It’s simply a professional inspection you get done on your own home. Assuming only a few inconsequential issues are identified, the passed inspection becomes an appealing selling feature of your listing. Buyers are likely to be more confident in making an offer when they know an inspection has been done.

What happens if an inspection reveals a concern?

Well, that issue would likely have been discovered by the buyer’s inspection anyway. At that point it could cause a potential problem with the deal. Now you can be proactive. You can either get the issue fixed, or factor it in during the sale. The point is, it doesn’t come as an unwelcome surprise to you or the buyer.

Getting a pre-sale home inspection is, in most cases, affordable. You’ll likely recover the cost, and then some, when you sell.

Why Bargain Hunting is a Bad Idea

It seems like every month there is a new website offering deals on everything from electronics to travel. In fact, the “coupon industry” is booming.

This trend has conditioned people, more than ever before, to look for bargains and become determined to pay well below the market price for merchandise. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all want a deal!

But when it comes to shopping for a home, bargain hunting can be a bad idea.

First of all, the real estate market is competitive. The overwhelming majority of homes sell for a price that is at, or close to, their respective market values. Your chances of finding a property that is listed significantly below its market value are slim to none.

Secondly, if you become fixated on finding a bargain, you may not notice all the great properties on the market that are within your price range and meet your criteria.

In other words, you may inadvertently pass on what may, in fact, be your next dream home. So when shopping for a new home, focus on finding the right property at the right price, not on finding a bargain.