Why You Should Schedule a Home Inspection

Home inspections are involved in pretty much every real estate transaction but when they happen and who pays for them may vary. Traditionally, the buyer will pay for a home inspection to ensure there aren't any unforeseen problems with the home which they're interested in purchasing. However, if you're about to put your house on the market in Minnesota, you may want to schedule an inspection first.

If you schedule an inspection as a seller, you can find out about previously unknown issues that could complicate your ability to sell your house at the price you're asking for. Of course, the cautious buyer will still want to schedule their own inspection to make sure everything's up to snuff. Scheduling a home inspection, as a buyer or as a seller, can be beneficial in a variety of ways; read on to learn more!

How a Home Inspection Benefits Sellers

While Minnesota is currently enjoying a strong seller's market, that doesn't mean buyers will move into a house that's falling apart at the seams. Just because you haven't had any problems with your house in recent months doesn't mean that it's ship-shape across the board. Scheduling a home inspection before you put your house on the market can allow you to discover such problems as:

• Damaged roofs, siding and windows

• Faulty electrical wiring

• Leaking pipes

• Cracking foundation in the basement and the garage

• Improper ventilation and insulation

• Malfunctioning fire and CO2 safety systems

All of these issues will drive down the value of your house in Minnesota. If you wait for a buyer to schedule an inspection and they learn of these issues, they may back out of the sale or demand you pay to have these issues corrected. Finding out about these problems with your house and correcting them before your home goes on the market will prevent these complications and may even improve the value of your house. Buyers will be much more keen to pay a premium price for a house with a brand new roof than a house with crumbling shingles that are one bad storm away from being replaced.

Scheduling your own home inspection allows you to be fully transparent with buyers since you know exactly what's wrong with your house. This will also prevent you from being swindled if buyers claim there are problems with your home, when a recent inspection verified that this is not the case. While the upfront cost of a home inspection may not be appealing to a seller, it will put you in an advantageous position when the time comes for negotiations.

How a Home Inspection Benefits Buyers

Even if a home seller has already had an inspection conducted on the property you're planning to purchase, you would still be wise to schedule an inspection of your own. This will allow you to ensure that the home in Minnesota which you're trying to buy truly meets all of the standards which the seller claims that it does. You may also discover problems which the seller's inspection didn't uncover.

It's worth noting that a regular home inspection may not cover certain problems that buyers will definitely want to be aware of before closing on a home. Pest infestations, dangerous mold and asbestos may are often not covered by a regular home inspection, and these are all major issues which you'll want to have addressed before making an offer. Some home inspections may also not cover anything outside the walls of the house. Scheduling your own, more thorough inspection may allow you to learn about such issues as flooding or erosion of the landscape, decaying trees and a leak in the pool.

Should you unearth any hidden problems in a house when you have your own inspection conducted, it will give you an advantage when negotiating with the seller, as you can request that they either resolve the issues your inspector found or lower their asking price. If they're unwilling to do either of these things, you can just walk away, saving yourself the money and time of trying to fix a serious problem in your newly-purchased home.

Get Help With Buying or Selling a Home in MN

If you'd like to buy or sell a property in Minnesota in the near future and you'd like to give yourself the peace of mind that no unexpected problems will stand in your way, try working with a team of realtors who can put you in contact with reputable local home inspectors. Call Chris Fritch Team with eXp Realty today for all the help you need with buying or selling a home in the Twin Cities metro!