Home Inspection is a Must
A buyer will spend thousands of dollars purchasing a home. Therefore, having a home inspection is one of the most important things a buyer should do. For a few hundred dollars, typically between $350 to $450, you will get a piece of mind in purchasing your home.
A home inspector can point out any major defects in the home including problems with the furnace, electrical systems, roof, plumbing, radon and insects. This allows the buyer to request from the seller to have major issues corrected at the seller’s cost by a licensed professional (unless the seller disclosed these issues on the seller’s disclosure form).
A couple of important items to keep in mind: Massachusetts home owners are not required to fill out seller’s disclosures. In Rhode Island, seller’s disclosures are mandatory. Massachusetts’s home inspectors must be licensed. Rhode Island does not have this requirement - but they do require the home inspector to be a licensed general contractor.
According to the MA MLS PIN, there are 80 single-family homes on the market with the average listing price of $372,091. This is a lot of inventory for a buyer to choose from. My advice to sellers, make sure the condition of your home will pass a home inspection. Having a pre-home inspection completed can do this. If your home does not pass a home inspection, the buyer may decide to move onto another home. They have plenty to choose from.