How to Navigate the Home Inspection Process

Home inspection

Charles D’Alessandro can help you navigate the home inspection process calmly and with focus. He’s the best Brooklyn Real Estate has to offer!

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Selling our home has been a stressful experience. Not because our agent hasn’t done an excellent job keeping us calm and focused though. Selling our home for top dollar and closing on the appointed day have been the goal and what we have been working toward. We’ve kept our home cleaned, staged, and ready for showing at a moment’s notice, well, almost. Our bags (and dog) have been packed and on-the-ready by the front door since we listed this place last month. And each time we left home, we made sure there was no trace of us (or our dog) living here. Thankfully, our home sold quickly, in less than two weeks. And although a lot of the stress was relieved when it went under contract, it continued to be somewhat stressful. From the agent walk through to the buyer home inspection, many strangers walked through our home. Three inspectors/repair men came in one day! The selling process has been fairly smooth and most of the inspectors and repairmen have been easy to “work” with.

How do you look at the home inspection process? Do you look at this process with dread? Most do. They see inspectors as bad news investigators. If you view home inspections in such a way, I challenge you to look at them from a positive perspective instead. We worked hard to prepare our home for sale, but the buyer home inspections provided us with the opportunity to see what still needed to be repaired. We then used the money set aside for repairs on the original net sheet prepared by our agent. The buyer home inspection went well and required us to use only half of what we set aside! It wasn’t a bad experience at all!

What a Home Inspection Does for the Seller

The American Society of Home Inspectors states, “a home inspection can give [sellers] the opportunity to make repairs that will put the house in better selling condition.” Home inspections also encourage smooth transactions and help sellers receive their asking price. But what if the home inspector finds major issues? Here are three tips to help you navigate the home inspection process.

3 Tips to Help Navigate the Home Inspection Process Positively

1. Work with your agent to be ready for inspection ahead of time.

Make sure your home and you are as ready for inspection as you can possibly be. As early in the selling process as you can, do a walk-through with your agent. Let them point out potential issues. Remember, they want your house to sell quickly and for top dollar, too! Ask, “Do you think I should fix that?” and be prepared to hear, “I would.” And when the home inspector walks through your home and reveals a few more flaws, don’t take it personally. Just appreciate that another pair of eyes are helping you sell your home.

2. Help your agent know everything there is to know about any issues your home may have before inspection day.

Ask your agent to let you know the date and time of the home inspection. It’s best if you aren’t present for the buyer home inspection. If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to answer questions to explain any issues your home may have during the inspection, have your agent call you with questions they don’t already have the answers to.

3. Keep reminding yourself that the inspector is just doing their job.

When the time comes for the actual inspection to take place, remember, the home inspector is simply doing their job. A number of real estate deals fall through when buyers and sellers get tangled up in negative emotions about repairs. Your home is important to you, but taking the emotion out of the situation will benefit both you and the buyer. Stay focused on the bigger picture and your end goal: getting the best return on your investment and moving into a new home.

Finally …

Know this: the best laid plans can go awry. You can prepare for the home inspection in every possible way and still watch the deal fail. Thoroughly inform your agent and prepare yourself well. Let the inspector do their job. Be a model seller. Stay calm and focused on your end goal.

Hire Charles D’Alessandro. Contact him at (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 or send him an email at [email protected]. With over 30 years of real estate experience in Brooklyn, you can trust Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate to help you stay calm and focused through the sale of your home.

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