Should I Get a Pre-Listing Inspection Before Selling My Pensacola Home?

For most homes here, yes, and especially for older or waterfront homes. A pre-listing inspection shows you what a buyer's inspector will find, before a buyer finds it. You decide what to fix, what to price in and what to disclose on your own schedule, not in the middle of a negotiation.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. Every listing of mine includes a pre-listing inspection, at my cost.

It's a home inspection you order before your home goes on the market, instead of waiting for the buyer's inspection after an offer. A licensed inspector looks at the same things a buyer's inspector will: the roof, the HVAC, the plumbing and electrical, the foundation and structure, and the windows and doors. In our coastal climate, inspectors also pay close attention to moisture and to wear on the outside of the home.

It doesn't replace the buyer's inspection. Buyers can still order their own. The difference is that you already know what it's likely to find.

Pensacola is a military market, and many buyers here use VA loans. A VA loan needs an appraisal that supports the price, and the home has to meet VA's minimum property standards. An older home with an aging roof or an open termite issue can quietly lose a big share of its buyers, and the seller often never learns why.

Insurance matters too. Older homes may need a four-point inspection before an insurer will write a policy, and a buyer who can't get insurance can't close. A pre-listing inspection brings those items to the surface early. My post on VA property issues that can stop a home sale goes deeper, and my page for military and VA buyers shows what those buyers are looking for.

For each item on the report, you make one of three choices:

1. Fix it. This makes sense for safety items, big systems, and anything an appraiser or insurer is likely to flag.
2. Price it in. Some items cost more to fix than they add. Then the price reflects the home as it is.
3. Disclose it. Buyers see it up front, so it isn't a surprise later.

You don't have to fix everything. I help you focus on what buyers, appraisers and insurers care about. My post on which repairs to make before selling walks through how to choose.

Knowing about an issue can change what you're required to disclose. Disclosure is a legal question, so a real estate attorney is the right person to ask about your situation. It is usually simpler to handle an issue before you list than after a buyer is under contract. Either way, it's your decision, made with the facts in front of you.

• Skipping it on an older home. That's where the surprises usually are.
• Scheduling it too late. Order it before photos, so repairs are done before your home goes live.
• Trying to fix everything. Focus on what affects the sale, the appraisal and insurance.
• Ignoring what you won't fix. If you leave an item as it is, your price should reflect it.
• Losing the receipts. Keep records of every repair. Buyers and their agents will ask.

My post on what sellers need to know about home inspections covers the buyer's inspection that comes later.

Here's an example of how I lay out the steps. It shows the process, and it isn't a real client's story.

• First meeting. We talk about your goals and your timeline, and walk through your home.
• The inspection. I schedule it before photos, at my cost.
• The report. We go through it together and decide what to fix, what to price in and what to disclose.
• Repairs. The ones worth doing get done, and you keep the receipts.
• Pricing. Plan A, B and C reflect the home as it really is. You choose.
• Launch. Your home goes live with fewer surprises waiting for the buyer's inspector.

Who pays for a pre-listing inspection?

When you list with me, the pre-listing inspection is part of my service, at my cost.

Does a pre-listing inspection replace the buyer's inspection?

No. Buyers can still order their own. Yours means you already know what it's likely to find.

Do I have to fix everything the inspection finds?

No. For each item, you decide whether to fix it, price it in or disclose it. I help you focus on what buyers, appraisers and insurers care about.

Is a pre-listing inspection worth it on a newer home?

It can still catch issues you didn't know about. It matters most on older and waterfront homes.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. Let's talk about your goals and your timeline. I'll walk you through it before you decide anything.

See how I sell homes in the Pensacola area, get a free home value analysis, or schedule a time to talk with Vivian.