When you are selling your home, a poor pest and building inspection can derail the sales campaign. Genuine issues that neither the seller, buyer or agent expected can be damaging. The buyer can think crucial information has been withheld and the seller can feel as though the buyer is using a tactic to lower the price.
If you are selling your home, it’s best to get a detailed pest and building report done prior to listing on the open market. This will ensure that buyers cannot bluff you with a bogus issue mid campaign. Conversely, if there is an issue that requires attention, you can rectify it prior to going on the market.
Buyers are understandably hyper cautious prior to making a purchase. They are committing a large percentage of their wealth to one transaction. Plus, they have no doubt heard one too many real estate horror stories. Unconsciously, some buyers will often double the bad news and halve the good news.
” It’s best to get a detailed pest
and building report done prior
to listing on the market. “
A poor pest and building inspection can cause the buyer to reduce their offer or even crash the sale entirely.
What the exact issues are will determine whether it’s commercially best to address the issues or simply disclose them to buyers.
Even if you choose not to rectify the issues, at least you are aware of them. The best way to handle defects is full disclosure to the buyer. If you allow buyers to discover negatives of their own accord, caution and distrust in the buyer can build.
The law may state ‘Caveat emptor, buyer beware’ but decency suggests ‘these are the issues you should consider…’ It’s a savvier approach.
Full disclosure builds trust between the seller, buyer and agent. It also avoids messy re-negotiations as the buyer will ultimately discover the negatives if you attempt to hide them.
Most buyers can accept negative issues about a property and factor it in to their offer accordingly. If there is the slightest suggestion that issues have been withheld or smothered, most buyers will simply (rightly) withdraw from negotiations or over play the extent of the issues.
When it comes to defects, as mother used to say, ‘Honesty is the best policy’.
