A seller home inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller. The report can assist in your real estate disclosure and help protect you from future legal claims.

Seller inspections in Portland, OR (sometimes referred to as pre-listing inspections) are becoming more popular because they virtually eliminate all the pitfalls and hassles associated with waiting to do the home inspection until a buyer is found. In many ways, waiting to schedule the inspection until after a home goes under agreement is too late. Seller inspections are arranged and paid for by the seller, usually just before the home goes on the market. The inspector works for the seller and generates a report for the seller. The seller usually makes multiple copies of the report and shares them with potential buyers who tour the home as a marketing tool. The report might relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions, and prevent them from walking away. A seller inspection also lightens negotiations and any last-minute re-negotiations. When seller inspection reports are provided, deals are less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a last-minute problem.

Advantages to the Seller:

• The seller can schedule the inspection at the seller’s convenience.
• The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don’t exist or have been corrected.
• The report might alert the seller to any items of immediate concern, such as plumbing leaks or active termite infestation.
• The report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
• Gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
• Permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
• Removes over-inflated buyer-procured estimates from the negotiation table.
• The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
• The seller can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.
• The seller can assist the inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer’s inspection.
• A seller home inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.