Now is a great time to sell your Westfield home. Prices continue to rise. Interest rates remain low. And Westfield made the Top 10 List of Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey. We keep seeing more and more buyers looking to move here. But even in a seller’s market, you need to make sure your property is in tip-top condition. That is why home sellers can benefit from a pre-list inspection.

Home Sellers Advice: Pre-List Home Inspection

No Surprises

One of the best reasons why home sellers should perform a pre-list inspection is because it eliminates the element of surprise. Your buyer will most likely have an inspection performed during the escrow period. If you get one done before you even list your Westfield home, you know the condition of your home as it stands today. Inspections uncover issues you may not have even been aware of. Performing one now allows you the chance to get ahead of it.

You have two options if you find issues during the home inspection. One, spend the money fixing it/them. If problems are fixed before you list your home, buyers won’t even know there was an issue to begin with. Or two, get estimates from local contractors for the cost of repairs. When the buyer performs their home inspection, you can present them with your findings. In turn, this may mean reducing your sale price in order to factor in the costs and make the sale happen. But it also shows transparency and due diligence on your part which sits well with buyers.

Money Savings

How does spending a few hundred on a home inspection save home sellers money? It allows you time to shop around for the best deal on repairs. Also, when you show the buyer that you recently updated an aging system (electrical, HVAC, roofing), it shows them that you put pride in ownership and took care of your home. Plus, when the buyer accepts the disclosure of any repairs made, they acknowledge that they accept the home in its current condition. This greatly reduces the chance that buyers come back later on in the transaction and ask for discounts.

More Marketable

Finally, a pre-list home inspection helps your Westfield home become more marketable. As I said before, buyers like transparency. It provides them with a certain level of trust that you are being forthright. Make sure you have the results of your pre-list inspection readily available to buyers as well as the proof of any completed repairs.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty, Luxury Homes