I have had many sellers who become anxious when it comes time for the buyer of their home to do inspections on the property. These inspections can range from the general physical inspections to those more detailed, such as chimney, sewer line, roof, electrical plumbing, etc.
This is one of the most stressful parts of the transaction as the seller is at risk of the buyer negotiating a credit for repairs or requiring the seller to correct any items that may come up in these inspections.
More and more we are seeing sellers who would like to take the guess work out of what buyers will discover in these inspections and they opt to perform their own inspections prior to listing the home. There are positives and negatives to doing this and the seller needs to weigh these out before making a decision.
On one hand, they gain knowledge about the condition of their home and can be prepared for what a buyer may discover through their own inspections. They can choose to correct these issues before they become a negotiable item or at least be aware of what may arise in this portion of the transaction.
On the other hand, any item in disrepair or in need of attention then becomes a material fact that the seller is required to disclose. The inspections can also be costly. When you consider that you are selling what is probably your largest asset, it makes sense to make a relatively small investment up front to help avoid headaches during the escrow period.
In the state of California, a termite clearance is required if written into the contract as a condition of the sale, which is most often the case. If a termite inspection is done in advance, the work can be done and a clearance can be issued before listing the home, taking one more thing off of the seller’s plate for the escrow period. The work required is broken into two sections in the report with Section 1 most commonly being the seller’s responsibility and Section 2 being the buyer’s responsibility. In some cases tenting of the home is required and knowing in advance helps the seller avoid surprises.
Pre-inspecting gives a seller peace of mind when entering into the process of selling their home and puts them in a position of greater knowledge when entering into a contract. The chance of the buyer discounting the home of an unprepared seller can be minimized or avoided altogether. In this case especially, knowledge is power.
Partners Trust is located at 594 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 696-4800 or visit www.thepartnerstrust.com or call Aason directly at (626) 399-4696.
