Whether you are buying or selling a home, a home inspection offers several benefits. It is an important part of the process.

Benefits of a Home Inspection for Sellers

For sellers, a pre-listing home inspection allows you to have time to have the inspection completed and then find a contractor, budget the tasks, and make repairs if any are needed. While a buyer may still require a home inspection of their own, having a pre-listing inspection completed gives you the time to address any issues so that you aren’t racing against the clock to fix them before your closing date.

Benefits for Buyers

The purchase of a home is a large investment. You want to ensure that your future home is in great condition before you finalize the purchase and take ownership.

A home inspection offers protection as it will alert you to any structural, system, or safety issues with the home you are considering purchasing.

It will also help you understand more about the home you are purchasing and set realistic expectations. For example, is the roof or water heater the original that was installed in the home? Depending on the answer, as well as the other factors such as maintenance, usage, weather, etc., the inspection will provide you with more information to make an informed decision about your home purchase (and how to budget for the future).

Home Inspection Benefits for All

A pre-listing home inspection or a home inspection before you purchase can also help with negotiations if needed.

A pre-listing home inspection can be shared with potential home buyers to be transparent about any issues with the home and how they were addressed.

A home inspection also allows the buyer and seller to determine how to take care of any items that need to be addressed. However, discuss any items in the home inspection with your real estate agent and work through them on the negotiations. Items subject to negotiations could be to have the item repaired before closing or perhaps to provide a credit to have the item repaired after the closing.

Real Estate Experience to Guide You

The O’Gorman Team is your award-winning team of Reston real estate experts. We have guided many clients through the processes of buying or selling a home. If you are thinking of selling or buying a home and have questions about a pre-listing inspection or home inspection, contact us to discuss. We’re here to help!