As a seller, should I get my home pre-inspected before listing?

My advice is to get your home inspected, even if you are not planning on selling it. Think of it as a wellness exam. You will get a good understanding of how your home works and what maintenance it needs going forward. Think of it as a checkup for the health of your home.

Every home has issues of which the owner is not even aware. A complete “checkup” including septic, which costs $400, will run about $1,200. You should plan on spending $3,000-plus every year on your home. Ignoring and postponing maintenance projects will only allow the home to deteriorate further and cost you more in the long run.

Since I do not like surprises, I always advise my clients to get at least a thorough septic inspection. I get pushback from sellers, who say but I have it cleaned every three years. It is not the same thing.

The items that come up most during building inspections are septic issues, electrical issues, decks, water quality and mold. Many of my clients have found mold in their attics. This is not as scary as it sounds but wouldn’t you like to know if your family is being exposed? Well contamination is an issue about 50 percent of the time. You should be testing your wells annually, but who does?

Pre-inspection is a question agents have been debating for several years. I get asked this question by home owners occasionally myself. Most sellers have a mental budget of how much they will spend getting the home ready for market. It is generally between $5,000 and $10,000.

Just as you wouldn’t put a car for sale without having it detailed, you wouldn’t market a home that hasn’t been well prepared.

Your Realtor will advise you on paint choices, getting the windows washed and things like that. Your Realtor cannot advise you on hidden and structural defects. These will come up in an inspection.

While your Realtor will help you to “detail” your home, the inspector is the “mechanic” who will make sure it is in top structural/mechanical shape.