Home Inspections Help a Seller Present Their House in The Best Light   By Dan Bowers, CRI, NAHI Member, Holmes Inspection Co., Shawnee Mission, KS Very few homebuyers today would dream of signing the loan papers and closing on a new house without first having it inspected for any hidden problems. Smart home sellers can take advantage of this by having a Professional NAHI Certified Home Inspector thoroughly examine their house -- before putting it up for sale. A professional pre-listing home inspection will disclose any major defects in the home’s physical structure (such as the roof, basement, foundation, walls, and ceilings) or in its electrical, plumbing, heating or cooling systems. Should any serious problems be reported, sellers may then elect to have them repaired, replaced, or disclosed before marketing them to prospective buyers. The resulting physical and/or aesthetic improvements often greatly increase the home’s sales appeal. Another option, if the pre-listing inspection turns up major problems, is for the seller to adjust the asking price to reflect the problems. Very often, people who have lived quite comfortably for many years in their home grow accustomed to conditions which may prove unacceptable to a potential buyer. An objective third party opinion helps to put a home’s true condition into a more realistic light. In addition, the inspector’s written report can be a persuasive sales tool, providing sellers with unbiased documentation of all their home’s good features. Buyers may feel more confident in making an offer when they can know right away the present condition of the house, inside and out. To make sure a house is inspected objectively and expertly, homeowners should seek an inspector who belongs to the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI). NAHI was founded in 1987 to improve professionalism among home inspectors nationwide and is acknowledged as a leading nonprofit professional association for home inspectors, throughout the United States by real estate professionals and government housing officials, such as FHA, HUD, the VA, and by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAHI established the nationally recognized standard of performance for the home inspection industry, the NAHI Standards of Practice, and it has established and promoted a strict Code of Ethics. NAHI’s national CRI test is used by several states as the state testing requirement for entry into the home inspection profession. Membership in NAHI, is therefore a consumer’s best assurance of competence and professionalism. For a free brochure about home inspections, and a list of local NAHI Members in your area, call 800-448-3942, email info@nahi.org, or visit www.nahi.org.