![]() |
Coeur d'Alene's MOST TRUSTED Home & Mold Inspectors!Affordable Home Inspections & Mold Testing in Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls, Sandpoint, Kellogg |
||||
INSPECTIONS: Jeanne, 208.215.4090
|
Certified Master Inspector
Jeanne M. Considine 208.215.4090 Call 9AM to 5PM Seven Days a Week! NavigationSpokesman-Idaho News
Indoor Air Quality News
|
Message BoardHome Seller InspectionsSubmitted by Anonymous on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 04:40.The Great North Idaho Land Grab has subsided. Last year’s slower market has stabilized, and this year opens with a number of houses - competing with yours – for a buyer. How can you stand above the crowd? Have a home seller inspection performed, also known as a listing home inspection or pre-listing home inspection. “Have your home inspected by a NACHI Certified Inspector before you list!” recommends former REALTOR® Nick Gromicko in his book, Sell Your Home For More. Eventually, your house will be inspected; you may as well be the first to know the results, and then make repairs affordably – rather than be held over a barrel during eleventh-hour negotiations. The author points out that having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:
Copies of the inspection report, along with receipts for any repairs, should be made available to potential buyers. Such forthright dealing promotes trust with your buyer and acts as a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” – especially in today’s buyers’ market. Susan Spellman is a Williamsburg, VA, REALTOR® who recommends Pre-Listing Inspections to all her clients. “Just because a home has granite countertops doesn’t mean it’s well built,” she says. “If you do an inspection and make the necessary repairs before listing a home, the house basically has a clean bill of health,” says Sandy Schoon, an agent in Scottsdale, AZ. Schoon regularly recommends prelisting inspections to her clients. “It’s an opportunity to take care of things that could go wrong so that they won’t come back and bite you.” A prelisting inspection is important in another way, as you get to research and choose a qualified inspector. Here in Idaho, it’s important to remember that there are no restrictions or requirements for “inspectors” – and anyone can call themselves “certified,” for that matter. If you wait for the buyer to choose an inspector, however, you may be at their mercy. Nightmares have resulted; some “inspectors” have tried to impose modern codes onto older structures, while others have used the inspection as an opportunity to create a “to-do” list for their own home maintenance and repair company! A home inspection is defined as a visual, non-invasive examination of a residential dwelling; know what to expect from yourinspection by referring to http://www.idahohomeinspectors.biz/sop. Sellers can speed their home inspection by following these suggestions. The inspection will go smoother, with fewer concerns to delay closing. Lastly, the addition of a 120-day Home Warranty will provide you with peace of mind during the hectic showing, packing and moving period, and ensure that you will not have any unforeseen expenses pop up after the inspection. This service, offered bywww.ahomewarranty.com, can be included in my prelisting inspections. Face it: sellers expect to spend some money as they prepare the home for sale. All too often, sellers end up sinking cash into improvements that mean little or nothing to potential buyers or, worse yet, into improvements that will not be returned with the sale of the home. Financially “tapped out,” they feel trapped when the buyer demands concessions or a lower price as a result of the buyers’ inspection report. Investing in a seller’s inspection, early in the process, will ensure that monies spent will be for those items of highest importance – and provide the greatest return. Certified Inspector Russ Spriggs is president of Idaho’s chapter of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, and 2007 president of the Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce. He maintains an informative and educational website atwww.cdaInspector.com. Direct your home inspection requests or questions to:Russ@cdaInspector.comor (208) 660.8877. ![]() |