Seeker of Schole Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you are looking for a house, does a pre-inspection matter to you? Or do you not care? Our realtor if talking about us getting an inspection, and what he says makes sense to me (on one hand), but is not how I function. I've come to realize, though, that I do not function in a normal way when it comes to buying a house... So what say the hive, will it make a difference and help get the house sold? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 We aren't doing one as we get ready to list this house, and it didn't matter to us when we were looking at houses for sale. I did appreciate knowing whether or not the plumbing was still in working condition on some of the fixer-uppers we looked at, but those are a very different market than a normal resale. My father had one done on a house he sold this year, and he did feel that it was useful. My house is a worth a lot less than his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMama Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 We are also in the process of purchasing looking/buying a home. It was my impression that a home inspection report is required by the lender. They don't want to loan money for a house that is unlivable, or requires tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Also, it's a great bargaining tool for you. If the report shows rotting around a window for example, you can request the seller to make repairs. You can ask for whatever you find important, and hash out the details as part of the closing. It is well worth a couple hundred dollars to find out about potentially tens of thousands of damage, or illegal repairs and additions to the home. We had a home inspected that we did not end up purchasing. The inspector crawled into the crawl space and found the floor of the guest bath was propped up with rotting plywood, as well as having incorrect electrical wiring. We passed on the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Pre-inspection would be of no relevance to me. However, if the cost were negligible, I'd consider it one more thing to make my house possibly more attractive to a buyer. They may still need their own inspection to satisfy their lender's requirements, and most inspectors will find additional things in order to "prove" their worth. (Which they should, as it's their job to find things for their client.) If my house were already perfect, it might be the icing on the cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I want my own inspector to inspect the house, so no I would not care about a pre-inspection. I have never heard of such a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I want my own inspector to inspect the house, so no I would not care about a pre-inspection. I have never heard of such a thing. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I want my own inspector to inspect the house, so no I would not care about a pre-inspection. :iagree:I would never buy a house without having it inspected by someone I chose, not the seller's hired inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMama Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Ah, my mistake. I thought you were on the purchasing end. I wouldn't get an inspection before placing a house on the market either. The buyer will get one of their own anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) If I was looking at a house to buy I wouldn't care about a pre-inspection. If we were looking at fixer uppers if I found one I was really interested in we would have someone we know and trust walk through it with us and then get an inspection done after the offer. I guess I can see it for a fixer upper so the potential buyers know ahead of time what needs to be done but I would still want an inspection done with someone we pick. Edited March 14, 2012 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddykate Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I want my own inspector to inspect the house, so no I would not care about a pre-inspection. I have never heard of such a thing. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Some people get them and some don't. If I am on the buying end, I would still get my own done unless I knew the home inspector who did the inspection and it was recent. On the selling end, I might get it done just so I know if we have any hidden problems that need to be addressed. It might make things easier when we have a buyer and they do their own home inspection (fewer items on their inspector's list makes the house seem better). But, if money is tight, I wouldn't bother. Also, if something comes up on the report that you can fix, you will have to disclose it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 When we sold, we didn't do a pre-inspection. We did, however, offer a home warranty. I have no idea how they are run today, this was several years ago. But we paid I think about 500.00 for a one year warranty that would cover major functions of the house, ac/hvac, plumbing etc. A pre-inspection is no worth to us, as dh was a contractor for many years and we inspect a home as we tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I agree with the others and do not think it is necessary. In our experience (as buyers), we had to pay for an inspection anyway. Be prepared as the seller to possibly be responsible for anything found on inspection; we asked for minor repairs be taken care of prior to closing that were found on inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 As a buyer, I don't think I would care much about a pre-inspection. As a seller, it might be useful as you would be able to fix anything they found ahead of time making the whole thing go smoother when you get an offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runmiarun Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Ah, my mistake. I thought you were on the purchasing end. I wouldn't get an inspection before placing a house on the market either. The buyer will get one of their own anyway! I agree. Don't waste your money on one before you list your house unless you plan on getting the work completed that is listed in the inspection. Any buyer for your house will have to get an inspection in order to get a loan, unless they are paying cash. Lenders will not accept an inspection paid for by the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 An inspection is for the buyer's peace of mind. During the option period, the buyer brings in an inspector (hopefully a good one) and has a hard look at the house. Roof, plumbling, appliances... If you find something you can't live with, you ease out of the sale or ask the seller to repair. Generally a few hundred or a couple of thousand in actual costs. I always urge my buyers to get an inspection so they know what issues their new home may have. I highly recommend an inspection even if the home is a brand new build. The lender will want an appraisial, not an inspection. Both will look the house over for flaws, issues, and details, but the appriasial is to determine if the home and land are 'worth' what the sales price is going to be. If you have an inspection done prior to listing the house, the seller then is required to disclose that information...and perhaps repair before listing to make a sale easier. That *can* be a good thing because it does make a buyer more comfortable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I think a buyer would want their own inspection, but a seller might want to know themselves what is what before hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I own a real estate company and this is the first time I've ever heard of a pre-inspection. No, I would not do it nor could I justify the expense to a client. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I want my own inspector to inspect the house, so no I would not care about a pre-inspection. I have never heard of such a thing. :iagree: We are about to close on a house we were selling. We didn't have a pre-inspection. We worked out the few issues that came up when the buying paid for the inspection himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yes, I always get one. It gives you the heads up on what major work may need to be done prior to the sale. It is for your benefit, as well as a potential buyer. It eliminates a big surprise after you finally find a buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If it makes you feel better, then you can do a pre-inspection, but it's not going to matter to the buyers. I'd just wait for a buyer to have an inspection, then they'll tell you everything they want fixed. It's so subjective, there's no point in fixing every little thing if the buyers or buyer's inspector don't see a problem. We didn't do it when we sold our house and it didn't hurt us in the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 We sold our first house by owner and we paid for an inspection. It was done by a well-known reputable inspector in town. I think it helped us sell our house; the people who bought it had walked out on another house when an inspection brought up problems (and I think it was done by the same inspector we used). When they toured our house, they could see what issues there were (8 year old house, so most were minor), and some issues we had already taken care of (like moss growing on roof). We were also able to say that our asking price reflected the condition of the house. That helped in negotiating, as they couldn't really say "knock off $10k for this issue that just came up in the inspection." I would do it again. If a prospective buyer then wanted their own inspection, they would need to pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker of Schole Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Thanks for the feedback! I was of the feeling that as a buyer, I would want my own insepction, so I didn't think there was a point. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donaldmartin Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Inspection creates a sort of security while selling or buying houses.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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