What You Need To Know About Home Inspection and Your Portland Home for Sale
The home inspection is one of the most important considerations that can directly impact your Portland home for sale.
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 84 percent of all residential real estate transactions include a provision for home inspection. The purpose of this inspection is to provide an unbiased, analytical analysis of your Portland home for sale. In a sense, this is the purchaser’s opportunity to avoid the “buyer beware” syndrome.
Because of the importance of the home inspection, as the seller, it’s an excellent idea to get your Portland home for sale inspected before putting it on the market. That gives you a chance to fix any problems before potential buyers see your home.
How to Choose a Home Inspector
In Oregon the state requires a home inspector to be licensed. Therefore, you need to do your homework before choosing a home inspector.
Well informed buyers and sellers usually ask for inspectors who are members of either the American Society of Home Inspectors or the National Association of Home Inspectors.
Additionally, before hiring a home inspector ask for:
- A description of the services to be provided: A typical home inspection should include a thorough and itemized written report detailing the home’s structural elements, an exterior evaluation, roofing, plumbing electrical and appliance testing. Outbuildings and garages can also be included in the inspection. Items such as insect and rodent infestation and radon inspections can also be performed.
- A list of references: Be sure to contact these references and ask what they thought of the home inspector and whether or not they’d use the inspector again.
Now What?
Okay. Now, the inspection is performed and you’ve received the written report. You have a couple of options to resolve any problems noted in the report:
- You can fix the problems yourself.
- You can hire someone to fix the problems.
- You can reduce the sales price by the estimated cost to fix the problems.
While it’s ultimately your decision, a professional real estate agent can help you determine which option will get your home sold the fastest and for the highest profit.
If you’d like recommendations to the best home inspectors in Portland, or want help getting your home sold let us know. Also check out more articles at the Portland Real Estate Blog.