Who Schedules a Home Inspection: the Buyer or the Seller?
Getting a home inspection is a crucial part of any home sale, but who schedules a home inspection? The buyer or the seller? While buyers are usually responsible for scheduling and paying for a home inspection, proactive sellers can also get ahead of the game and get an inspection before they even put their home on the market. Either way, home inspections are an important step that is not to be missed!
Traditional Home Inspections
In most cases, the home inspection takes place after an offer has been made and accepted on a home. Once the property is under contract, the buyer is responsible for scheduling the home inspection to ensure they are making a sound investment. The home inspector will work their way through the property and create a thorough home inspection report listing out any areas of concern. If there are major issues uncovered, the buyer can ask the seller to make repairs or improvements, or deduct the cost of the repairs from the final sale total. Buyers can also back out of the contract if the issues are too significant.
Seller Inspections
A more recent trend in real estate is seller inspections, a process that strays from the traditional timeline of home buying events. With a seller inspection, a seller schedules a home inspection before they put their home on the market, giving them insight into what areas of their home need attention in order to sell. The seller can then make those repairs before listing their property and make note of any improvements in their listing. This type of inspection benefits motivated sellers who want to get ahead of any holdups in their home sale.
Who Pays for a Home Inspection?
With a traditional home inspection, the buyer pays for the home inspection. This is because the buyer is doing due diligence on their investment and needs this information to move forward with their purchase.
For a seller inspection, the seller pays for the home inspection. This is because the seller wants insight on their property to help expedite the future sale and eliminate issues before they arise.
Do Sellers Get a Copy of the Home Inspection?
For traditional home inspections, sellers do not typically get a copy of the home inspection report. The report is considered the buyer’s property and does not have to be released to the seller. What the seller does end up seeing is a list of repair requests that are based on the home inspection. The noted repairs give hints as to what was discussed at length in the report.
For seller inspections, the seller does get a copy of the home inspection report since they paid for it. The report will help them make any repairs ahead of time.
Schedule The BrickKicker for Your Home Inspection
Whether you’re a buyer looking to purchase a new home or a seller hoping to get a jump on your sale, The BrickKicker offers award-winning home inspection services to help you with your property. Get started when you schedule an appointment today!