Whether you are moving elsewhere in the La Jolla area or relocating to another community, a seller’s home inspection can offer significant advantages. A professional home inspection arranged for by the seller at the very beginning of the home selling process can pad your pocketbook while lowering anxiety levels.
When most people think of home inspections, they think of something that buyers do to confirm that any defects in the property have indeed been disclosed. Professional home inspectors carefully review the systems and the structure of homes. If a new issue issue is uncovered, it may form the basis of renewed negotiations between the buyer and seller. In some cases, the problem kills the deal.
Why stress so much over this buyer’s inspection late in the process, after the offer to buy has been accepted? Get a seller’s inspection done at the outset to enjoy these advantages:
1. Price Your Property Right
If the you receive a clean report back from your home inspector, you can use this as a tool for listing your home a little higher than average listing price. A home with no real issues will tend to command top dollar. Furthermore, the mere existence of this “clean bill of health” can be astutely employed as a selling point by your agent. In this scenario, a seller is assertive and pro-active. This may generate a more confident stance in negotiations. The result? A higher selling price for your property.
2. Repairs without the Pressure
Let’s say that the home inspector does uncover one or more issues. By learning of potential repair needs early on, you and your agent can take time to debate what should be repaired vs. when the price should simply be lowered. Of course, California’s law on “full disclosure” of known defects must be honored. Many sellers would rather disclose things noted by their own inspector instead of worrying about a later accusation by a buyer that something wasn’t honestly disclosed.
A seller’s inspection allows you time to carefully shop around for quality work done at the right price. Compare this approach to the panicked feeling that can ensue when a buyer’s inspector uncovers something that you were clueless about.
3. Avoid being on the Defensive
When, a buyer’s home inspection does uncover a repair-worthy issue, the problem can get worse. This is because you, the seller, are now on the defensive. And, unfortunately, many a buyer will seek to exploit this to their advantage. In fact, many agents believe that a buyer will commonly try to extract $2 to $3 in concessions for every dollar in actual repair costs. Avoid this outcome, or even the fear if this outcome, by investing in a seller’s inspection up-front.
Selling Your Home in La Jolla, CA
Many sellers neglect to consider these preliminary inspections because they are never suggested by anyone. However, once sellers learn about such “seller’s inspections,” many consider them an obvious choice. The cost of such an inspection is a tiny fraction of the cost of a typical La Jolla home. Both the tangible and intangible benefits are hard to argue with. Price your home with greater confidence, address issues pro-actively, and sleep better at night as your home goes on the market. At closing, the very real potential exists to put more money in your pocket.
If you’d like to learn more information about selling your home in La Jolla, CA, contact us or read our free home seller’s eBook:
