Hack the Home Inspection Before You Sell Your Home

Lower interest rates and below-average home inventory means this could be a great time to sell your home. But with the rainy season upon us, potential buyers and Home Inspectors are on the lookout for water damage, dry rot, roofing issues, and other home repair concerns that might delay or complicate the sale of your home.

Of course, but we have some tips that will give you peace of mind and avoid rushed and costly surprises. In this article, we’ll point out areas of concern that most pacific northwest Home Inspectors point out during your home inspection. When you sell your home, it’s essential to do anything you can to help ensure a swift and profitable home selling experience. One of the best ways is to get out in front of any home repairs before your potential buyer sends you a high-priced repair addendum and slows down the transaction.

Save Time and Money
The main advantage is that you can sell your home quickly without any costly negotiation and you will close on time. Typically, a home inspection period is about 10 days. If the Home Inspector finds any deficiencies, it could take up to three days to get your list of repairs the buyer is requesting. After that, it’s time to contact a professional who can make the repairs. This can take weeks to get on a contractor’s schedule without paying higher prices for expedited rates. Then you wait for the work to be completed, and depending on the project, this can take several days. The last step is the reinspection, and you cross your fingers that the rushed work was done satisfactorily. This entire ordeal can be avoided by checking out your home, calling a licensed and bonded contractor, and doing necessary repairs on your time before you list your home. Additionally, you choose the contractor and set the scope of the project, not the buyer who is looking for the highest bid. Finally, your home looks best when prospective buyers are checking out houses and making an offer, resulting in higher offer prices.

This is tempting, but it can be a costly mistake. The typical amount of money surrendered to the buyer to cover repairs is often much higher than the cost to conduct a small targeted repair on common problem areas. Another reason is this option still takes a lot of time and can extend your closing date. You still need an inspection, you still need to get bids, you still need to negotiate before you sell your home. Nine times out of ten, you will end up losing time, money, and end up with an avoidable frustrating experience for all parties concerned.

Hacking the Home Inspection process by proactively getting in front of it is good sound advice regardless of market conditions. At SFW Construction, we don’t provide Home Inspections for homeowners but would love to help you with your pre-sale or post-sale home repairs. Owning a home in the pacific northwest presents a unique set of issues and we are experienced and prepared to take on these projects. Please contact us to get on the schedule for your next home repair project.