Selling This Spring? Let Me Find the Problems Before the Buyer’s Inspector Does

Here’s something you might not know about me: most of the time, I’m working for the buyer. After 12+ years of inspecting homes in Central Kentucky, that means for a lot of sellers, I’m the bad news. I’m the lady in the red fleece crawling under your deck with a flashlight, writing down everything that isn’t quite right. (I promise I’m nice in person.)

And from the seller’s side, it usually goes something like this. The house hits the market, the offers come in, everybody’s excited. Then the buyer’s inspection happens, and a few days later the listing agent calls with that tone in their voice.

Seller: “What do you mean the bathroom fan vents into the attic? I’ve lived here eleven years!”

I get it. Nobody goes up in their attic for fun. That’s kind of my job.

The thing is, most of what shows up on a typical report isn’t the end of the world. A double-tapped breaker. Some moisture staining on the vapor barrier in the crawlspace. A roof that’s getting close to the end of its life. A downspout dumping water right against the foundation. All fixable. But when you find out about them in the middle of a negotiation, with a short deadline and a buyer who’s suddenly nervous, every single item feels about ten times bigger than it really is.

That’s where a pre-listing inspection comes in.

Same Inspection, Different Timing

A pre-listing inspection is the same home inspection I do for buyers. I follow the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, which means a visual look at the readily accessible parts of the house: the roof, exterior, foundation, basement or crawlspace, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, fireplace, attic, insulation and ventilation, and the doors, windows and interior. You get the full report within 24 hours.

The only real difference? You get the report first. Before the photographer, before the sign goes in the yard, and definitely before a buyer’s inspector is crawling under your house.

Why I Love Doing These in the Winter

If you’re thinking about listing in the spring, right now is the sweet spot. You have months instead of days. You can get a couple of quotes, pick the contractor you actually like, and fix things on your own schedule instead of somebody else’s. You can also decide that some items aren’t worth fixing at all, and that’s okay too!

Now, to be fair, winter comes with a few limitations of its own. If it’s too cold outside, I may not be able to run the air conditioner, and a snow-covered roof isn’t telling anybody much of anything. I wrote more about that in Buying a House in the Winter. But for most of the house, a January inspection tells you just as much as an April one, and you get the gift of time.

So You Have the Report. Now What?

Pretty much everything in it falls into one of three buckets. You can fix it. You can price it in. Or you can simply know about it and plan for the conversation. Not every item is a defect that needs a repair. Some things are just a house being its age, like I talked about in my post on ungrounded electrical systems. A 1960s house is allowed to act like a 1960s house.

One thing worth talking through with your real estate agent: once you know about something, you know about it. Your agent can help you sort out what belongs on your seller’s disclosure and how to present the repairs you’ve already made. (Hint: buyers LOVE receipts.)

And yes, your buyer is almost certainly still going to hire their own inspector. That’s a good thing! I’d tell any buyer to do exactly that. The difference is that when their report comes back, there are a lot fewer surprises, for them and for you.

The Part Nobody Talks About

Selling a house is emotional. You’ve raised kids there, or pets, or tomatoes. You know which stair squeaks and which window sticks in August. Hearing a stranger list off everything wrong with it can sting, even when nothing on the list is serious.

I’d so much rather you hear about the soft spot in the bathroom floor from me, in January, with plenty of time to deal with it, than from a buyer’s agent in April with three days left on the clock. That’s really the whole point. No surprises, no scrambling, and a lot more peace of mind when the offers start rolling in.

Thinking about selling this spring? Request a quote and schedule your pre-listing inspection online, or give me a call at 859-227-1780. I’d love to see your house before anybody else does.