Pre-Sale Inspection
Much is made of the pre-purchase inspection, and for good reason. Less, however, has been made of the wisdom of having a home inspected prior to placement on the MLS. We believe this is a mistake. Do we have a vested interest in holding this position - sure - but here is our argument, see if you don't agree.
When a buyer has been found and a price agreed on inspections will begin. If the home you are selling is quite new and the line from the house to the street new as well, we will be the first to admit that a sewer inspection is likely unnecessary. This, however, does not describe the vast majority of homes in the greater Puget Sound area. In the interests of protecting their clients (not to mention their own reputations) most buyer's agents will strongly recomend a sewer inspection. If a problem is found at this stage there is a dramatic shift in negotiation power - and it is all in the direction of the buyer.
Bids will come in, and the bids will reflect the fact that time is short and the stakes high. Who does the work and when, what approach is taken and to what extent - in short the decisions which would once have been all yours, suddenly aren't. Pipe lining might be a third the cost of trenching in new lines and perfectly sufficient for the situation, but if the prospective buyers want new ABS...
And due to disclosure laws the issues raised by the inspection won't go away, even if the buyers do.
The upside.
Unless you have been experiencing sewer issues, the chances are a sewer inspection will reveal little. You can then present all prospective buyers with time dated footage of the inspection. Now, instead of being faceless seller #3453421 on the MLS, you have a face. You are a proactive and above board home owner. It stands to reason that if you are on top of this - your sewer, the least accessable of home systems - you are likely the type of owner who has kept up on all aspects of home repair. This is not to say that the interested party will forgo a sewer inspection, they likely won't. What it will do is insulate you from worry - the worry of what might be found and how this finding might effect the transaction. And when the buyer's scope confirms your own you will have cultivated a degree of trust.
And what if something is found?
Then it would have been found anyway. Sewer inspections have become routine. If your home is not new, be confident a scope is in your future. The difference is this: forewarned is forearmed. There is no ticking clock forcing your hand, driving up repair bids. No buyer tapping their watch, making recommendations on how they think you should proceed. You have the breathing room to properly research your options. Inflated bids will reveal themselves, as will the often vast cost differences between the various approaches.
Furthermore, there is no law saying you must repair. Should you choose, you can simply accept that the issue will be cause for a counter offer. Is the counter too low? If you inspect and collect bids you will know.
When a buyer has been found and a price agreed on inspections will begin. If the home you are selling is quite new and the line from the house to the street new as well, we will be the first to admit that a sewer inspection is likely unnecessary. This, however, does not describe the vast majority of homes in the greater Puget Sound area. In the interests of protecting their clients (not to mention their own reputations) most buyer's agents will strongly recomend a sewer inspection. If a problem is found at this stage there is a dramatic shift in negotiation power - and it is all in the direction of the buyer.
Bids will come in, and the bids will reflect the fact that time is short and the stakes high. Who does the work and when, what approach is taken and to what extent - in short the decisions which would once have been all yours, suddenly aren't. Pipe lining might be a third the cost of trenching in new lines and perfectly sufficient for the situation, but if the prospective buyers want new ABS...
And due to disclosure laws the issues raised by the inspection won't go away, even if the buyers do.
The upside.
Unless you have been experiencing sewer issues, the chances are a sewer inspection will reveal little. You can then present all prospective buyers with time dated footage of the inspection. Now, instead of being faceless seller #3453421 on the MLS, you have a face. You are a proactive and above board home owner. It stands to reason that if you are on top of this - your sewer, the least accessable of home systems - you are likely the type of owner who has kept up on all aspects of home repair. This is not to say that the interested party will forgo a sewer inspection, they likely won't. What it will do is insulate you from worry - the worry of what might be found and how this finding might effect the transaction. And when the buyer's scope confirms your own you will have cultivated a degree of trust.
And what if something is found?
Then it would have been found anyway. Sewer inspections have become routine. If your home is not new, be confident a scope is in your future. The difference is this: forewarned is forearmed. There is no ticking clock forcing your hand, driving up repair bids. No buyer tapping their watch, making recommendations on how they think you should proceed. You have the breathing room to properly research your options. Inflated bids will reveal themselves, as will the often vast cost differences between the various approaches.
Furthermore, there is no law saying you must repair. Should you choose, you can simply accept that the issue will be cause for a counter offer. Is the counter too low? If you inspect and collect bids you will know.
...the backflow preventer idea is working perfectly and didn't really cost that much. My neighbors on both sides flooded and after telling them about the check valve they both are installing them...
Alfred D. (West Seattle)