3 Benefits of Home Inspections That Real Estate Agents Should Take Advantage Of
How much do you know about the home that you’re selling? As a real estate agent, you want to have as much information as possible. Since homebuyers tend to invest in home inspections, real estate agents often skip them. If you want to help your clients sell their house as quickly as possible, you may want to rethink skipping inspections.
1. Make Time for Repairs
Most buyers have an idea of a price that they would like to ask for when selling the home. As the agent, you can sway them up or down based on the appraisal. When you have a pre-listing inspection, you can also get a snapshot of any problems with the home. For instance, you may identify some issues with a visual walk-through. You may see mold but be unable to tell whether it is a problem that can be solved with easy cleanup or a problem that needs remediation. If the homeowners have the time or the budget, they can make repairs before putting the house on the market.
2. Settle on an Asking Price
Without a home inspection, you have limited information to decide the asking price. You can appraise the value based on comparable homes in the neighborhood and consider the value of new renovations and upgrades, but an inspection gives you the full picture. Water stains on the ceiling, for instance, may be purely cosmetic or they may be a sign of water damage.
3. Give Yourself Peace of Mind
Having a pre-listing inspection provides you with peace of mind. You can feel more confident in the asking price. You can extend the reassurance to potential buyers. Buyers will see you and the homeowner as trustworthy for being transparent with the pre-listing inspection results.
Furthermore, potential buyers may see problems as red flags. With an inspection, you can prove to the buyer that the problems are surface issues.
Many real estate agents skip out on the pre-listing inspection. If you were to have the home inspected in advance, it could help you come up with a fair asking price, allow you to make time for repairs and give you peace of mind.