Why pre-listing inspections can save you money, time, and hassle.
Today we’re back with part two of our conversation with Garrett from Garrett Consulting. If you missed the first part, check it out here. Today we’ll be focusing on some of the finer parts of seller inspections.
Tammy: Are there things you do during the buyer inspection that you don’t do for sellers?
Garrett: We usually don’t do the ancillary inspections for sellers. We don’t run a pipe in the sewer system, look for termites, or test for radon. If we happen to see signs of termites, of course we’ll tell you and recommend someone else who can examine the problem. Pests are natural; they’re going to be in homes from time to time. Hopefully, they haven’t caused too much damage.
Tammy: Are there things that my dogs could damage?
Garrett: Definitely. If they have an accident, they could damage your flooring. They can ruin wood, carpet, and even the grout in your tile. It’s not very often that a house smells like urine, but it does happen. Pets can certainly damage your home.
“Getting a pre-listing inspection can save you so much frustration.”
Tammy: What about deferred maintenance?
Garrett: It can cause a big problem. For example, not cleaning your gutters can cause foundation problems and water infiltration in basements. It seems trivial, but it’s important.
There are two key advantages to getting a pre-listing inspection.First, you’re not going to get blindsided when you go on the market. The buyer will still do their own inspection, but your inspector will find all of the same major issues and most of the same minor issues. Second, most of those small things are simple repairs that you could do over a weekend. You’ll save yourself money because the buyer would ask you to hire a contractor to fix them.
Tammy: It almost feels like a no-brainer. Getting an inspection before they list can save sellers so much frustration and solve so many problems. We’re going to offer Garrett Consulting’s services to our clients moving forward. It will save them money and take away the surprise of the inspection period. It just leads to a smoother transaction, and it’s a minimal cost.
Garrett: Of course, I’m always willing to recommend inspections, but a lot of our customers do too. We get many calls back from people who were glad that they knew some major problems were coming.
Another thing to keep in mind is that things change, not only code compliances but safety concerns too. A deck built 30 years ago will not conform to the standard of a deck built 10 years ago.
One last thing to keep in mind has to do with the disclosure. If I notice a problem, it usually has to go on my report. However, if we solve the problem beforehand, it doesn’t have to go on the disclosure.
We recommend pre-listing inspections to my clients. If you ever need an inspection, we suggest working with Garrett. If you have any questions or want to get in touch with Garrett, don’t hesitate to call or email us. We would love to help.
