Centreville Home Inspection

I completed a Centreville home inspection about two months ago. This home inspection was commissioned by someone who had decided to buy a new home and then try to sell their own home, also in Centreville, VA.

The new home that there were considering was a good bit larger, but it was also in Centerville, VA, so it allowed them to stay close to the area that they new, keep their children in the same schools, etc.

I completed that Centreville, VA home inspection and completed the home inspection report the following morning.

I had mentioned to my client that they should talk to their agent about a seller's home inspection (prelisting home inspection) and discuss the benefits. After seeing the home inspection report, my client decided that they would like me to come to their existing home in Centreville, VA and complete a home inspection prior to them listing the home.

Because I knew that they would soon be moving into their new home, also in Centreville, VA, I recommended that we wait until the larger furniture had been removed so that I had relatively good access to all parts of the home.

Three weeks later, I completed their seller's home inspection in Centreville, VA.

A seller's home inspection offers several key benefits. The first, and most significant, is that is sets your home apart from others on the market. The entire area surrounding Centreville, VA is littered with foreclosed homes and short sales. It is well understood that these homes are not typically well cared for and are often neglected and even vandalized. A home that is listed with a seller's home inspection is clearly not a neglected home!

Another great benefit is that the seller is able to correct any issue that is uncovered during the prelisting home inspection. That means that the seller can take the time to select several qualified contractors and have them submit estimates. Without the pressure of an impending settlement date, the seller will be able to make a better decision regarding who should complete the work. After the work is completed, the seller can amend the home inspection report with the receipt to prove that the work was completed. This will lead to a smoother due diligence period.

Having a professional home inspection before listing your home also lends further credibility to your disclosure statements, reducing your overall liability and giving you peace of mind.

Lastly, this also allows the seller to be sure that a qualified home inspector is completing the home inspection.

This Centreville, VA home inspection did produce a few issues. I explained to my client that these are concerns that the buyer's home inspector would (or should) uncover at the time that they complete the home inspection. The only major concern had to do with the spacing on the pickets leading up the stairs. When this particular Centreville, VA home was built, larger spacing between the pickets was common. This presents a safety concern, especially for a family with a young child. A child could get their head caught in between the pickets due to their spacing. The repair was relatively easy and inexpensive, however.

This seller's home inspection in Centreville, VA also helped to prevent my client from making unnecessary repairs. The first potential buyer's home inspector identified nearly a dozen relatively serious concerns. Only one of those concerns had any merit whatsoever. My client asked for the credentials of this “home inspector” and it turned out to be a contractor with no formal training as a home inspector. Although I met the potential buyer, and their “home inspector” at the home in Centreville, VA to walk through the home inspection with them, they decided to pursue other homes.

Without a seller's home inspection in Centreville, VA, my client would have ended up repairing or offering credit for items that were not legitimate defects.

The second potential buyer happened to be working with an agent for whom I had completed several home inspections in Centreville, VA and the surrounding areas. This client ended up waiving the inspection contingency altogether and they should be closing on their new home in Centreville, VA in the next week!