Carson Dunlop

Home Seller’s Inspection

A Carson Dunlop inspection is a powerful tool that helps your home sell more quickly and easily. Prospective buyers can confidently make an offer, with no need for an inspection to be done after the terms are negotiated. Such inspections often lead to 11th hour renegotiation or even loss of the sale.

Why Seller’s Inspections make so much sense!

Seller’s inspections, also called ‘Pre-listing inspections’, help the buyer, the seller and the real estate professionals.

With a traditional buyer’s (or pre-purchase) inspection, the buyer and seller negotiate the terms of the sale and agree on price. The sale is conditional on a home inspection. At the inspection the buyer finds out what condition the home is in. It sounds a little backwards already, doesn’t it? Why would you buy something before you know what shape it’s in?

The buyer gets the report, finds out the home is not perfect (none are) and feels they have overpaid. They want to re-negotiate, or worse, they want out of the transaction. The real estate sales professionals are in an awkward spot, because they have already sold the home, going through a tough negotiation. Now they have to tell the seller that the buyer wants a lower price. The sales process has to start over again, or the deal falls apart. Neither side is happy.

When the condition of the home is disclosed before the inspection, there are no surprises. It’s as simple as that.

Why is it not always done this way? Because of the way home inspection has grown. When there were no home inspections, this was not an issue. When home inspection was in its infancy, sellers hoped that buyers would not ask for an inspection. But now, virtually all buyers want an inspection. The game has changed. Sellers now understand that there will be an inspection, and it may well cause a problem. Rather than sit by and desperately hope for the best, sellers can control the situation.

Benefits of a Home Seller’s Inspection:

1. Everyone knows the condition of the home, and there are no 11th hour surprises.
2. No home is perfect and a good inspection report will provide that perspective.
3. If there are issues raised that need a second opinion or further evaluation, that can happen before the house is listed, rather than in the middle of a high stress negotiation.
4. Sellers can make improvements or reflect the condition in the listing price. (We prefer the latter.)
5. Buyers are more comfortable making an offer, because they know what they are getting.
6. In competitive situations, prospective buyers may not make an offer because they are not able to get an inspection, or the odds are high that the money spent on an inspection will be wasted. A seller’s inspection may allow more potential buyers to make an offer.

In today’s environment, with buyers getting home inspections, the seller is very wise to have the inspection done before the house goes on the market.

Should the seller fix any conditions identified in the inspection?

They are welcome to, but we recommend they do not. Here’s why:

1. The seller has to go through the process of finding and hiring a contractor, live through the project and any delays, pay the contractor, etc.
2. Getting work done is an inconvenience and slows down the process of getting the home sold. Most people want to get on with it once they have decided to sell their home.
3. The seller will be motivated by price rather than quality of work. The quality of work may not be good, leading to more delays and expenses.
4. The seller may lose a buyer by doing the work. The buyer may be looking for a home with a high quality, energy efficient furnace. If the seller has to replace a furnace when leaving the home, the new furnace is likely to be a basic model.
5. Here’s another example:  A buyer may be looking for a home with a wooden roof, for example. A worn-out asphalt shingle roof can be replaced with wood. But if the seller has just put a new asphalt roof on, it’s not cost effective to rip off a brand new roof.
6. If the house condition is reflected in the list price, the buyer and seller are both in good shape. The seller receives fair price for their home. The buyer pays a fair price and has the option to make whatever improvements suit their needs. And almost every buyer makes changes to their new home anyway, so it works out well.

What if the buyer still wants their own inspection?

That’s perfect. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. And when the buyer sees that the reports are substantially aligned, their confidence in the home, the seller and the process goes up. By the way, since home inspections are sampling exercises, and no two inspectors will take the same samples, some variation in the reports is normal.

Is the inspection different when it’s done for a seller?

We perform the same great inspection for home buyers and sellers, plus we offer sellers three report presentation options.

You receive our traditional, elegantly simple report that includes:

• A summary page with key findings
• Improvement recommendations for conditions, with time frames and ball park costs.
• Photos and colour illustrations for clarity
• Reference material to help people understand how their home works, life cycles and costs of home components and critical maintenance tips.

We also offer two enhanced packages to our base package. Both include the items above, plus valuable items that will help when selling your home.

Seller’s Plus Package	Seller’s Premium Package
A one-page PDF Summary Report that can be shared with prospective buyers. The report highlights positive attributes and the major findings of the inspection.	50 high quality print copies of the Summary Report, one full colour printout of the complete inspection report and a copy of the Home Reference Book.

What about the Buyer?

We are often asked whether home buyers are at a disadvantage because they did not participate in the inspection process. That’s why we strongly recommend an Onsite Review of the inspection and report with the buyer. This can be done before or after the home changes hands, and because it is done with the consultant who performed the inspection, we consider this a one-on-one course in home ownership. We explain the report and provide valuable advice on home maintenance.