Your Home SOLD, GREAT!
But you didn’t get a “Pre-Sales Home Inspection!”
Now it’s time for the “BUYERS” residential home inspection. The home inspector inspects your home only to find a hidden roof leak caused by missing shingles or tiles on your roof that were blown off from last year’s storm. Now, because the water has been leaking into the attic space has been happening for so long, there is now roof deck damage; insulation damage; and ceiling damage. The buyer may then ask you to repair or even replace the roof; or “back out of the deal” all together.
Why Do I Need a Pre-Sales Home Inspection?
If you haven’t figured out from the opening statement above… the short answer is, PEACE OF MIND!
It’s remarkable to me that home sellers never get their home inspected prior to selling it. I often ask sellers if they had considered a pre-sales home inspection, and they most often say “Why? There is nothing wrong with the home and I have kept up maintenance through out the years.” Well, even though the seller may have done just that, there are several areas that they do not see or may have overlooked.
The thermal imaging example to the left revealed a new leak in the ceiling above. This could have been addressed prior to the “buyers inspector” finding it.
One of the most common ways for a sale to fail or to lower the price, is a surprise finding in a home inspection. This is prompting some sellers to take the precautionary step of having an inspection before listing.
TIP: Informed sellers can make the home inspection process easier and faster, ensuring a more thorough and accurate inspection. Ensure ready access to all rooms and attic spaces. Clear all furniture, boxes, clothes, toys and other personal items that may block access to the furnace, water heater and electrical panel.
You Could also provide the new home owner with a free Wind Mitigation Inspection Report. Help them save money on the home owners insurance premium for their new home by getting them one for them! Read our article about What insurance companies don’t want you to know about Wind Mitigations.
Rats in the Attic?!
One of the most common things I find is “evidence of rodent activity” in the attic space. Depending on the buyer, this can be a DEAL BREAKER! While this is not the end all to be all, it can be a challenge for a seller or a realtor to combat. Most “sellers” or their “realtors” do not crawl in and around their attic to inspect for rodents; but the “buyers” INSPECTOR will!
TERMITES? Did someone say termites?
Having the “buyers inspector” find termites is the “holy grail” to lowering the purchase price of the home. If you have located and have eliminated the presence of termites prior to the sale, it shows you are on top of it, and have done your due diligence with the maintenance of your home. Let us find the termite presence before they do. Check out our Termite Inspection Page for more details.
