The current process for selling real estate has the inspection process starting after the home goes into escrow; meaning after the home is under contract to sell. The buyer has to hire an inspection company that will check the home for items not working or faulty construction. The report will cost anywhere from $350-500 for a house.  The inspector will issue a report that the buyer can then use to negotiate with the seller who pays for what fixes. If the buyer and the seller cannot arrive at an agreement the buyer can walk away from the purchase contract. At this point at least 10 days may have passed since the house went into escrow and seller has to go back to actively listing the property again.

A better alternative for sellers is to have their house inspected ahead of time and take care of any relevant issues that may arise with the inspection. The advantage of this is that sellers can take their time to fix things, using handymen for some of the tasks and saving considerable money in the process. The upfront investment will save money that will have to be paid anyway to fix the issues. Moreover, once in escrow and if there is financing in the deal, the lending institution will require licensed contractors for the fixes, increasing the cost of the repairs.

If you would like a recommendation for home inspectors, please contact us . It is difficult to keep updated lists on this website.

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