Before you put your home on the market, you should have it inspected. While this is traditionally considered the responsibility of the buyer, having your home inspected prior to the resale can save you headache, hassle, and money. Yes, you will have to pay to have your home inspected, but what you save will far outweigh the inspection cost.

Get More for Your Home

Why do buyers have homes inspected before they buy them? Home inspectors can find problems that the average seller or buyer cannot see. They can also find problems that unscrupulous buyers try to hide. For this reason, most buyers will make an offer that is contingent on the property passing the home inspection.

Imagine you are getting ready to sell your home, have an interested buyer, and all that is necessary to close the deal is the home inspection. The inspector comes, and you learn, much to your surprise, that you have a serious structural issue in the home. Now your buyer either backs out or offers you far less than you need for the home. You have lost money and interest in the home, and this could have been avoided by having the inspection done before you listed the property.

Give Yourself Time to Make Repairs

If serious issues with your property are found after a sale is underway, you will have to scramble to get the repairs done. If you have the home inspected before you begin the sales process, you can take the time to make the repairs, shopping for a good price on the repair job, and save yourself some money. Remember, the price contractors charge varies greatly, and shopping around will save you thousands of dollars. Again, if the buyer's inspection finds the problem, you will either lose the deal or you will have to rush to get the repairs done. This rarely brings an affordable price on the work, because rush jobs always cost more.

Give Yourself the Option to Disclose Problems Before the Sale

If you choose not to have repairs done, you can choose to disclose problems to a buyer before the sale. This makes you look honest, and it allows you to negotiate better with your buyer. If the buyer finds out about a problem that you did not disclose, he can counter offer at a lower price in order to reflect the cost of the repairs. If you already know about the problem and have disclosed it to the buyer, you can state that the sale price reflects the need for repair. While the buyer will still negotiate some with you, this can save you money in the end. Avoiding surprises with your buyer will help you get more for your home and help insure that any potential sales do not disappear.

Remember, your buyer is probably going to have an inspection done on the property before he finalizes the sale, whether or not you have had one done. Having one done for yourself will save you from any expensive surprises. It is simply a wise move to have your home inspected before you list it.