Pre-listing inspections for sellers

A pre-listing inspection is a home inspection the seller orders before putting the house on the market. It shows you what a buyer's inspector is likely to find, while you still have time to fix problems, get quotes and price the home realistically. Fewer surprises late in the deal usually means fewer collapsed sales and less last-minute renegotiation.

Why sellers do it

When a buyer's inspection finds a problem a few days before the condition deadline, the seller has little time and little bargaining power. The buyer may ask for a large price cut based on a worst-case guess, or walk away. A pre-listing inspection moves that discovery to the start, when you control the timing.

The main benefits:

• Time to fix things properly: you can get several quotes and hire the trade you choose, rather than accepting a rushed repair or a large credit.
• Realistic pricing: you and your agent can price the home with its condition in mind.
• Fewer surprises: buyers' inspections are less likely to turn up something new.
• Confidence for buyers: a recent report and repair receipts show the home has been looked after.

What a pre-listing inspection covers

The scope is the same as a buyer's inspection: exterior, roof, attic, structure, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, interior and basic life safety. The difference is who it serves. Because you are the client, you can ask the inspector to explain how a buyer is likely to see each finding.

Deciding what to fix

Not every finding needs action before listing. A practical way to sort them:

Use qualified, licensed trades for electrical, gas and plumbing work, and get permits where required. Unpermitted or amateur repairs often show up in the buyer's inspection and create more questions than the original problem.

Disclosure and sharing the report

Once you know about a material defect, you can't un-know it. Disclosure obligations for sellers vary by province and depend on the circumstances, and many sellers complete a property disclosure statement through their agent. Talk to your agent and, if needed, a real estate lawyer about what you must disclose and how to share the report.

Sharing the report with buyers

Many sellers make the report available to serious buyers, along with receipts for repairs. Buyers will usually still want their own inspection, which is reasonable, since the inspector works for them. But a recent report tends to make their inspection a confirmation rather than a discovery, and it helps buyers who are deciding whether to make an offer at all.

If you are selling a condo, buyers will also look closely at the corporation's documents. Our inspection guide for condo buyers shows what they will be reading.

Common findings and timing

• Grading and downspouts sending water toward the foundation
• Ageing roof coverings, or worn flashing at chimneys and walls
• Attic moisture from bathroom fans venting into the attic
• Missing or expired smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• Furnaces and water heaters past their typical service life
• Minor electrical issues such as missing GFCI protection or open junction boxes
• Signs of past basement water entry, see why basements leak

When to book

Book the inspection a few weeks before you plan to list, so there is time to get quotes and complete repairs. If the report recommends a specialist evaluation, such as a sewer line camera inspection or an electrician's review, leave time for that as well.

Build a disclosure package

A pre-listing report is most useful when it comes with the paperwork that shows what you did about it. Keep these together in one folder you can share with your agent and serious buyers:

• The inspection report, with its date
• Invoices and receipts for repairs made since the inspection, naming the trade and the work done
• Permits and final inspection records for electrical, gas, plumbing or structural work
• Quotes for larger items you chose not to fix, so buyers can see a real number
• Warranty documents for the roof, furnace, windows or other recent replacements
• Service records for the furnace, water heater and any sump pump

Mistakes sellers make

• Cosmetic cover-ups. Fresh paint over a water stain is one of the first things a buyer's inspector checks with a moisture meter. It turns a manageable issue into a trust problem.
• Unpermitted fixes. A handyman rewiring a basement circuit may solve one finding and create another.
• Leaving it too late. An inspection the week before listing leaves no time for quotes or proper repairs.
• Over-spending on looks. New countertops do less for a sale than fixing grading, replacing a failed sump pump or clearing an attic moisture problem.

A typical case

A couple plans to sell a 1980s bungalow in the spring. They book a pre-listing inspection in late winter. The report notes missing carbon monoxide alarms, a bathroom fan venting into the attic with frost staining on the sheathing, a furnace past its typical service life, and a downspout discharging beside the foundation. They install the alarms themselves, have a contractor extend the fan duct to the outside and treat the stained sheathing, and add downspout extensions. For the furnace, they get a replacement quote and decide with their agent to price the home with that in mind rather than replace it. When the buyer's inspection comes, it finds the same furnace, and the quote is already in the package. The deal goes through without a renegotiation.

How ehZee can help

Our home inspections work the same for sellers as for buyers: you can walk the home with the inspector, hear the main findings on the day and receive a written report within two days. Call 1-833-888-0091 or email contact@ehzee.ca to book before you list.

Common questions