Eventually, your buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an pre-listing inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways, such as:

• It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical and neutral third party.
• It alerts you to immediate safety issues before agents and visitors tour your home.
• It may alert you to items of immediate concern, such as mold or active termite infestation.
• It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that …
  • Defects won’t become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
  • You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs yourself, if qualified.
  • It helps you to price your home realistically.
  • It may relieve prospects’ concerns and suspicions.
  • It may encourage the buyer to waive his inspection contingency.
  • It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting documentation to your disclosure statement.

Never hire a home inspector who is not a member of InterNACHI, which provides the most trusted and rigorous training for home inspectors in the industry.

Copies of the pre-listing inspection report, along with receipts for any repairs, should be made available to potential home buyers.  This will show that you were proactive and took care of the major problems.  With an inspection and receipts for repairs the buyer might even forgo a buyer’s home inspection.