Selling a property is stressful and you have to worry about many things, including choosing the right real estate agent.

And when it comes to choosing an agent, you want to pick one who will ensure a smooth sale of your property for the best price. You also want an agent who will provide the best support for you and your buyers.

One of the most effective ways to assist buyers in their decision making is to have better information available about your property.

And we are not talking about a fancy description online or sunset photos, but information about the current condition of your house or issues in your apartment block. Yet here is a surprising fact – many agents still wouldn’t mention the condition of your property during their pitch.

Why is that the case?

We talk to agents all the time and have identified three main reasons behind this.

1. Fear

There is no such thing as a perfect property. Agents know this well and so do buyers. And this is why almost every property for sale will sooner or later have a buyer wanting a property inspection done. After all, buying a property is the most expensive purchase most of us will ever make and being aware of any issues is important.

This is where many vendors and agents get really anxious as they fear the outcome of this inspection may wreck the sale. But instead of actively addressing inspections with sellers, some agents avoid talking about it until an inspector is about to walk through the door. Why?

  • Because when marketing budgets are tight, it is difficult to ask vendors to pay a little bit more.
  • Agent’s job is to focus on positive aspects of a property.
  • As a result, it is difficult to suggest that your home may not be perfect.
  • And, of course, fear of the report coming back “negative”.

But what many agents and sellers don’t realise is that there are plenty of benefits in getting an inspection done before listing a property. Isn’t it much better to become aware of a deal-breaker issue upfront rather than having to deal with them during the campaign? Plus, sellers always have an opportunity to fix any issues before selling or at least factor them in the marketing campaign.

2. Old Habits Die Hard

For years, property inspections were a buyer’s job. A popular argument we still hear these days is that “if a buyer is serious about the property – they’ll get it done.”

But we live in a different world now and the rules have change. You see, most buyers typically look at a number of properties before buying. And for every property they are interested in they need to organise an inspection report, costing them anywhere between $200 and $700 per report. So once you’ve missed out a few times, the cost of due diligence sky rockets.

As a consequence, buyers quickly start restricting themselves in a number of properties they can look at more seriously because of the high cost of having it professionally inspected. And while some buyers may decide to bid without an inspection report, would they bid less because of the uncertainty about the condition of the property?

On the other hand, for the vendor getting an inspection report done is a one-off cost, usually being only a tiny portion of what they’ve already paid for other marketing. Services, like Open Access, then enable buyers to complete their due diligence fast and easy and with much lower risk.

3. Marketing Priorities

These days property marketing is getting more and more sophisticated. And it is expensive too. But while it does a fantastic job getting buyers to notice your house, it doesn’t help much in shaping their decision. That’s where property inspection reports step in. So why don’t more agents consider this as a valuable investment for the vendor?

  • Perhaps, because property marketing does a bit more than just advertise your property.
  • Agents are often under pressure to sell compulsory marketing items to their vendors.

The reality.

Making it easier to buy and sell a property should be the whole point of the real estate industry. And if there is a tool that helps to effectively achieve both of these objectives, wouldn’t you want to use it?

Property Inspections represent only a small fraction of what sellers pay to sell their homes. And while it doesn’t directly get buyers to the property, it makes the buying process a lot more transparent and gives buyers more confidence about your property.

If your agent isn’t talking to you about this, you should talk to them!

Get an EYEON Report.

Our Open Access inspections offer multiple benefits to all parties and are easy to arrange.

Request an Inspection Now

To get more selling tips, check out our comprehensive Sellers Guide.

Best Regards,
The EYEON Property Inspections Team

At EYEON Property Inspections, we help you buy and sell with more confidence.