Short answer: Sometimes a pre-listing home inspection is a smart move. But I don’t believe every seller needs one.

An inspection can help you find problems before a buyer does. It can give you time to make repairs, get estimates, or decide how you want to price the home.

But it can also uncover a long list of things you weren’t planning to deal with.

So I wouldn’t order one just because somebody told you, “That’s what good sellers do.”

I’d first look at the house, its age, its condition, and what you’re worried about.

Then decide whether an inspection is actually going to help.

What Is a Pre-Listing Inspection?

It’s basically the same kind of home inspection a buyer might order after going under contract.

The difference is you do it before putting the house on the market.

An inspector may look at things like:

• Roof
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Crawl space
• Foundation
• Windows and doors
• Appliances
• Attic
• Moisture or water damage
• Safety issues

The goal is to find problems before a buyer finds them.

That sounds great.

And sometimes it is.

But there’s another side to it.

Once You Know About a Problem, You Have to Deal With It

This is the part people sometimes forget.

Let’s say you’ve lived in the house for 15 years and everything seems fine.

You order an inspection.

Now the inspector finds moisture in the crawl space, an electrical issue, some damaged wood and a roof problem you didn’t know about.

You haven’t necessarily made the house worse.

But now you have information you didn’t have yesterday.

That usually leads to more questions:

Should I fix it?

How much will it cost?

Will buyers care?

Does it affect how we price the house?

Is it something that needs to be disclosed?

That’s why I like to talk through the situation before automatically ordering an inspection.

When Does a Pre-Listing Inspection Make Sense?

There are a few situations where I think it can be very helpful.

You own an older home

Smithfield has plenty of older homes.

Some have been updated over the years.

Some haven’t.

If your home has older electrical, plumbing, roofing or other systems and you’re worried about what a buyer might find, getting an inspection ahead of time may make sense.

At least then we know what we’re dealing with.

You already suspect there may be a problem

Maybe you’ve noticed a stain on the ceiling.

Maybe one area of the crawl space worries you.

Maybe the HVAC has been acting up.

Maybe the roof is getting old.

If we already suspect something may become an issue, I’d rather talk about it early than be surprised three weeks into a contract.

You want fewer surprises after accepting an offer

Once a home goes under contract, sellers start making plans.

Moving.

Packing.

Buying another home.

Scheduling closing.

Then the inspection report arrives.

That’s when a deal can suddenly get stressful.

A pre-listing inspection can sometimes help us deal with the bigger issues before there’s a buyer waiting on the other side.

When Would I Probably Skip It?

If the house is newer, well maintained and you don’t have any reason to believe there are major problems, I may not see much benefit in paying for an inspection before listing.

Why?

Because buyers may still order their own inspection anyway.

And different inspectors notice different things.

You could repair everything on your inspection report and still have a buyer’s inspector come back with another list.

That’s normal.

Home inspections aren’t pass-or-fail tests.

They’re one inspector’s evaluation of the property on that particular day.

What About Rural Homes in Isle of Wight?

This is where things can get a little more interesting.

A rural property may have things you don’t see as often in a typical neighborhood.

Septic system.

Well.

Outbuildings.

Long driveways.

Older crawl spaces.

Detached garages or workshops.

Maybe acreage that has its own maintenance issues.

That doesn’t mean you need to inspect everything before selling.

But if you know there’s a concern with something like the septic system or an older well, I’d rather talk about it before we put the house on the market.

Those can become big-dollar issues.

And big-dollar surprises are rarely fun once you’re already under contract.

Should I Fix Everything the Inspector Finds?

Definitely not.

This connects directly to what we talked about in our article on whether to make repairs before selling or sell the home as-is.

An inspector may find 20 or 30 items.

That doesn’t mean you need 20 or 30 contractors.

Some things matter.

Some are maintenance items.

Some are inexpensive.

Sometimes a few inexpensive improvements can make a much bigger difference than sellers expect.

Some buyers may not care about them at all.

I’d rather sort the report into three groups:

Things we probably should address

Safety issues, active leaks, major defects, or problems likely to scare away a lot of buyers.

Things worth considering

Items that aren’t emergencies but could hurt the way buyers see the house.

Things I probably wouldn’t touch

Small maintenance items that aren’t likely to change what a reasonable buyer will pay.

You don’t need to make an older home look brand new.

You just want buyers to feel comfortable with what they’re buying.

Could an Inspection Help Me Price the Home?

Absolutely.

Let’s say two similar Smithfield homes might normally compete around the same price.

But one has a newer roof, newer HVAC and no major issues.

The other has an aging roof and needs several repairs.

Those homes probably shouldn’t be priced exactly the same.

That’s why I keep coming back to this:

Condition and price work together.

If we know about a major issue before listing, we have options.

Fix it.

Price around it.

Or decide how we want to handle it if a buyer brings it up.

What I don’t like is finding out about a $10,000 problem after everyone already thought the deal was done.

Is a Pre-Listing Inspection Worth the Money?

Sometimes yes.

Sometimes no.

I don’t think there’s a rule that says every seller should get one.

I’d rather ask:

What problem are we trying to solve?

If we’re trying to uncover possible surprises in a 40-year-old home, maybe it’s money well spent.

If the house is five years old, has been well maintained and we have no concerns, I may tell you to save your money.

That’s a much better reason than doing it because it appeared on somebody’s “10 Things Every Seller Must Do” checklist.

What I’d Tell a Smithfield Seller Sitting Across the Table From Me

Before you order an inspection, call your agent and talk about the house.

Tell me what you know.

Tell me what worries you.

Tell me what has been repaired and what hasn’t.

Then we can decide whether getting an inspection before listing gives us useful information or just creates another expense.

Sometimes I’ll recommend one.

Sometimes I won’t.

And that’s really the point.

The right answer should depend on your house, not a generic real estate checklist.

If you’re thinking about selling a home in Smithfield, Isle of Wight, Carrollton, Suffolk or elsewhere in Hampton Roads and you’re not sure what you should do before putting it on the market, ask me.

Call or text me at 757-880-7061 or email me at [email protected].

I’m happy to talk through the house with you and tell you what I’d do before you start spending money.

Jason Goodin
Principal Broker
Virginia 1st Realty Group

Frequently Asked Questions

Do most sellers get a home inspection before listing?

No. Some sellers choose to, especially with older homes or when they suspect there may be problems. Others wait for the buyer to conduct an inspection after going under contract.

Will a buyer still get an inspection if I already had one done?

They may. A seller’s inspection doesn’t prevent a buyer from hiring their own inspector.

Should I repair everything on a pre-listing inspection report?

Usually not. I’d focus first on major defects, safety concerns and problems that could affect financing, insurability or buyer confidence.

Is a pre-listing inspection a good idea for an older Smithfield home?

It can be. Older homes may have systems or conditions that are harder to predict. Knowing about a major problem before listing can give you more time and more choices.

What if an inspection finds an expensive problem?

You normally have several options. You may repair it, get estimates, adjust your pricing strategy or decide how you’ll handle it with buyers. The important thing is knowing about it early enough to make a plan.