Our guest blogger, Tom Sherman of Absolute Home Inspections, has inspected thousands of homes–maybe gazillions–since 1998. He was also President of CNY -ASHI, a chapter of ASHI National, from 2004-2008. A home inspection before listing paves the way for a smoother transaction, and gives the seller more control of the sales process.  

As the years pass and the market continues to increase, it still amazes me how few real estate agents and sellers are utilizing, what I believe to be, the best sales tool in the industry: the pre-listing inspection.

I certainly understand a seller’s initial reluctance to pay for an inspection on the house they are selling, especially if they have just paid for an inspection on the new house they are purchasing.

Here’s the typical scenario: You decide to sell your house.  You find a real estate agent you are comfortable with, and list your house.  You spend a couple of weeks going out to dinner every time a potential buyer wants to to take a look.  Then at long last, a buyer submits an offer.  Quite often you end up haggling over the price.  Finally, you come to an agreement, fill out mountains of paperwork, then you’re done, right?  Unfortunately, NO.  In marches the buyer’s inspector, and now there is a laundry list of items that the buyer wants repaired or replaced.

The truth is, you, as a seller, are not paying for an inspection for a potential buyer; you are paying for an inspection to protect yourself! This inspection, along with an honest disclosure sheet, will take everything found and listed off the negotiating table. When a potential buyer makes an offer on your property, they do so knowing full well what they are buying. Got a bad roof? They (and you) already know about it, and the buyer placed the offer with the understanding that the roof needs to be replaced.

How about this scenario: the buyer’s inspector calls out the lack of GFCIs. The buyer wants them installed.  Are you, as a seller, going to tear up the contract over $300?  Probably not, if you are eager to move forward.  Therefore, you pay for an electrician to install GFCIs. This is only one of many issues that can come up during a home inspection.

Lastly, be wary of wanting to bring in an inspector who will “be nice to your house” on a pre-listing inspection. I advise against paying upfront for an inspector to find these issues, only to be blindsided by the buyer’s inspection.  In that case, you have wasted your money.

The pre-listing inspection is a very effective sales tool that can save your hundreds, perhaps thousands, in post-contract renegotiations.

Tom Sherman can often been found under a porch, or crawling through attic insulation. He can be reached at 315-673-1755 or Tom@AbsoluteHomeInspection.com.

These well constructed houses with great space and attention to detail can save the homeowner thousands of dollars in taxes each year for the next 10 years.

We currently have four 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom homes listed for sale in the “Newest Vintage Neighborhood in Syracuse,” the Lincoln Park area.  Each home features a large living room, hardwood floors, 1 car attached garage, 1st floor laundry, brand new dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, stove and a big bright walk out basement.

The bathrooms have double sinks and tile bath surrounds.  The bedrooms are well appointed with plush carpeting and large closets. The open floor plan in the main living area is ideal for entertaining, offering space for both dining and relaxing.

Home owning is possible with the tremendous tax incentives offered by the city…we would be happy to help you look at the numbers!

Other tax incentives are being offered as well for both the rehabilitation of vacant houses and improvements to residential houses.  More information on the Lincoln Park area can be found here: http://lincolnhillsyr.org/lhna_lincolnpark.asp.  You can find more information on the special tax incentives at www.syracuse.ny.us.

Pei Lin helped me buy my house and she helped me sell it. To put it mildly, buying and selling a home can be a trying experience. Pei Lin made the process clear and walked me through each step. When I bought my home she listened to what it was that I was looking for, and only showed me homes that I was interested in. And at the time I had to sell my home, I was living 400 miles away. She took care of details that I would never have been able to handle and marketed my house like it was her own. Pei Lin’s team was also a wonderful asset for a person who was doing all this for the first time. They were always available to answer questions and were very conscientious in assiting me. I never missed a deadline, my paperwork was always complete and they knew every detail of the laws and regulations I had to follow. They helped me with the ins and outs of financing and proved to be a great source of knowledge when assessing the physical characteristics of the homes I looked at. My experience with them was nothing but enjoyable. I highly recommend Pei Lin Huang and her team for anyone buying or selling a home.    —  M. Maguire

View homes I have sold here.
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