When preparing your Fort Lauderdale home for sale, a helpful tool can be a pre-listing home inspection. Unlike a formal home inspection, which is usually requested and paid for by a potential buyer, a pre-listing home inspection is requested and paid for by the seller prior to listing a home for sale. The report is a less detailed, less expensive visual inspection designed to report major conditions that will most likely be noted in the formal home inspection report.
Fort Lauderdale real estate listings that promote the availability of a pre-listing home inspection report are often perceived positively. Prospective buyers tend to feel the property is being offered by a homeowner who is proud of their property’s condition and unafraid of what the final inspection will reveal. The report can help reduce “fear of the unknown” that can make buyers hesitate before writing an offer.
A pre-inspected property lets you document major conditions that have either been addressed or left for the future owner to remediate as he or she sees fit. By noting how your asking price includes precise dollar allowances for named conditions, you display openness and conviction in the basis for your pricing. Fort Lauderdale listings written after a pre-inspection are more likely to minimize last-minute re-negotiation, which can slow down the selling process.
It is worth noting that any serious defects identified in a pre-listing home inspection must be disclosed. Do not let fear of a major discovery dissuade you from getting a pre-listing inspection report. Major defects will most likely be discovered by the buyer’s inspector anyway. Knowing about any property deficiencies ahead of time can help you head off unexpected repairs and delays later.
If you are thinking about selling your Fort Lauderdale home, contact us so we can discuss the best course of action to sell your house as quickly as possible and in the least amount of time.
