A home inspection performed by a knowledgeable inspector can be one of the best pre-sale investments you make on a real estate transaction. The inspector’s work benefits both the buyer and the seller, sometimes in similar ways, but often the inspection takes care of opposite sides of the same coin. If the seller orders the inspection, the cost of the process can be added to the asking price of the house. If the buyer demands the inspection, it is usually up to him to pay for the costs, so either way, the seller is not out the cost of the inspection.

The information gathered during a home inspection can be invaluable to the buyer. The location of shut off valves, pump switches, heating and cooling filters, and breaker panels are all information that will be found in a comprehensive home inspection. This information will make it easy for the buyer to locate such necessities quickly in an emergency. Sometimes valves and switches are located in unusual places, particularly in older houses. The inspection process identifies and maps such important items.

The buyer’s home inspection limits surprises that can crop up during the initial period in a new home. Maybe there are shaky areas in some of the home systems that could easily fail early in the new ownership. Making use of a home buyer’s inspection will let you know what the tentative areas are so that you can be prepared for the cost or surprise that may hit you. By knowing exactly where the problems lie, the buyer won’t need to worry about ‘what if’s’. The buyer will know precisely where unexpected system failures are likely to show up.

Conducting a Seller’s Inspection will allow the property to be spruced up and made more attractive to the buyers. Things like chipped paint and rust stains on the basement floor will all be taken care of prior to the showing of your real estate. The buyer will only see that everything is clean and in good repair, demonstrating that the seller takes pride in the property and insures that everything is maintained properly.

From the seller’s standpoint, if the Seller’s Inspection has been completed and the results of the inspection show that the house has no significant issues that have not already been dealt with, there are unlikely to be as many contingency or special clauses in the Offer to Purchase. Typically, when a prospective buyers sees major items that have not yet been taken care of, he is suspicious that there may be other problems just under the surface so the Offer to Purchase will include contingency clauses about everything imaginable that could go wrong with the property. The purchaser can hardly be blamed for wanting to make sure that there won’t be expensive repairs or renovations that will show up after closing.