Home Inspection in Texas and most everywhere is an important consideration if you’re buying or selling your home. Realtor Judi Wright is pleased to provide this helpful guide and hopes you will consider a home inspection before listing your property with her.
Performing a Home Inspection Before Selling Could Save You Money
The home that you are about to put on the market looks fantastic on the outside. But don’t be fooled, because there may be one or more shortcomings beneath the façade. All of which might affect the home selling process, even in today’s Seller market.
Realtor Judi Wright is pleased to provide this helpful guide and hopes you will consider a home inspection before listing your property with her.
Looks Can be Deceiving
Don’t be tempted to skip the home inspection just because your property looks good and you desire to save money. Buying a home is a crucial investment for any buyer. You should prepare to ensure that everything is in order once it hits the market.
As a seller, this is your opportunity to take a preemptive step that may save you time and money in the long run. But you need to be willing to fix the shortcomings that are found. If you are not, then don’t do the inspection.
Before you list your home, it is better for the home inspector you hire to look below the surface rather than the prospective buyer’s inspector. They may discover structural damage, foundation issues, plumbing problems, cracked siding, a leaky roof, mold or mildew, insufficient insulation, and problems with door movement, to name a few and/or an aging HVAC system on its last days of life
In today’s market, when buyers often pay top dollar for a home, they typically have higher expectations.
Stay One Step Ahead
If you don’t have an inspection before listing your home and the buyer’s inspector reports some critical issues, that buyer has significant negotiation leverage. They may ask for what you consider an unfair amount to repair the fault. Otherwise, they could take advantage of their option period and opt out of the purchase altogether. Then you must put your home back on the market and start all over and let’s face it, this isn’t fun for anyone!
After your home inspector identifies any deficiencies and you repair whatever is needed, your home sale will likely proceed as smoothly as possible. Actually, it may impress the buyer that you took the initiative to fix any potential problems before they fell in love with your property.
The cost of a home inspection varies but is often well worth the outlay of money. Why, because it can bring you peace of mind or – in the worst-case scenario — save you a significant amount of money in the long run.
When you hire a home inspector, be sure to ask them how long they have been in business, whether they specialize in residential inspections, and whether you can attend the inspection. As a matter of face, ask your favorite Realtor for a recommendation, don’t just use someone out of a Google listing.
How to Choose a Home Inspector
Are you selling your home and dreading the home inspection process?
Let’s peek into the buyer’s world and find out how home inspectors are selected and the list of areas they usually inspect.
As any skilled real estate agent would tell you, the best way to prepare for a home sale is to understand the buyer’s process so you can match their pace and give them exactly what they are looking for!
Let’s try to understand a typical buyer in the state of Texas and see how they select a home inspector.
Here are the main things (apart from pricing) that buyers consider before finally choosing a home inspector:
Review Recommendations from Others
Buyers search for home inspectors with a good reputation, and word of mouth is the most common referral method. Whether the recommendations come from friends, family, their trusted realtor, or even from the reviews posted online, the buyer would consider them and create a list for further review. I believe a recommendation from a trusted real estate agent should be the direction a Seller goes in choosing an inspector.
Verify the Inspectors Certifications and Experience
Home inspectors with certifications and experience are most likely to be chosen. Being a member of a trade association such as The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors and The American Society of Home Inspectors puts a stamp of approval on their expertise, and buyers would lean towards picking one of them.
Request a Sample Property Inspection Report
A sample property inspection report of a home inspection provides insight into how a home inspector presents the problems (if any). Buyers use the information in this report to see if the home inspector can create a foundation on which they can build a negotiable case.
In Texas, the Texas Real Estate Commission licenses home inspectors and provides them with a checklist of home inspection requirement and instructions that must be included in an inspection.
As a seller, you might want to look at the sample reports of several home inspectors to give you an idea of what to expect. This information will help you avoid any unpleasant surprises. Some inspectors pop in extra text for every code change since a home was built. This results in a 150 page inspection report for what could have been 20 pages. There are key differences in inspectors, so make sure you know what you are getting.
Keep in mind that the buyer generally has their best interest in mind. So, when choosing a home inspector, they would appreciate one who may tend to exaggerate or over-inflate issues. Watch out for these inspectors (like I mentioned above)
To avoid these situations, analyze and negate items that are unnecessary or are considered upgrades versus needed repairs. And many notations are upgrades so this is important.
We’re here to help you prepare your home for sale, negotiate all repairs, and reduce the stress of moving!
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