A pre-sale home inspection by the owner can eliminate problems down the road. A smooth home sale will actually save the seller money.
Home inspections cost in the range of $300 and take approximately 3 hours to complete. Consider it to be a health checkup for the property. The inspector will inspect all components of the building from the basement to the roof.
A real estate offer to purchase will generally contain a condition allowing the buyer a few days to complete a home inspection. If the report contains deficiencies in the property that they will not accept, the buyer will walk away from the deal. In some cases, they will come back to the table and want to negotiate a lower price.
A seller that has completed their own inspection prior to a buyer submitting an offer will be prepared for situations like this. They have the opportunity to repair or correct any items found by their home inspector. No doubt they can have the work completed for much less than the buyer's demand.
Some buyers will accept the sellers home inspection report. This will eliminate the need for a condition in the offer. Most inspectors will welcome a call from the buyer to explain the report.
