Should You Get a Pre-Inspection Before Selling Your Home in Albuquerque?
When preparing to sell a home, many Albuquerque homeowners wonder whether it’s worth doing a pre-listing inspection. This is when you hire a home inspector before putting your property on the market, instead of waiting for the buyer’s inspection after an offer is accepted.
Like most strategies in real estate, pre-inspections have pros and cons. Here’s what you should know before making the decision.
Benefits of a Pre-Inspection
Fewer Surprises: By uncovering issues upfront, you won’t be blindsided by a buyer’s inspection later.
Pricing Power: Knowing the condition of your home can help you set a realistic asking price.
Buyer Confidence: Sharing a pre-inspection report shows transparency, which can make buyers more comfortable making an offer.
Negotiation Advantage: If you’ve already repaired major items, buyers may have less room to negotiate.
Drawbacks of a Pre-Inspection
Upfront. Cost: You’ll pay for the inspection yourself (typically $300–$500).
Disclosure Obligations: In New Mexico, if you discover problems and don’t fix them, you’re legally required to disclose those issues to buyers.
Buyer Inspections: Even with your report, most buyers will hire their own inspector. That could mean double reports, which may uncover other issues, and potentially more negotiations.
How Pre-Inspections Fit Into the Seller’s Disclosure
If your pre-inspection reveals issues you don’t repair, you’ll need to include them in your Seller’s Property Disclosure. That doesn’t mean your home won’t sell — but it does mean buyers will know about the issues up front, and they may use that information during negotiations.
When Pre-Inspections Make Sense
Older homes with a lot of “unknowns.”
Competitive markets where buyers want confidence.
If you plan to repair big-ticket items anyway, and want to show proof.
Seller Tip
If you decide on a pre-inspection, work with your real estate broker to:
Choose what repairs to complete before listing.
Decide how to present the inspection report to buyers.
Build a strategy for addressing smaller issues without giving up too much leverage.
Bottom Line
A pre-inspection can be a powerful tool, but it’s not always necessary. The key is having a plan. Done thoughtfully, it can make your listing stronger and give buyers confidence. Done without strategy, it can hand buyers more leverage than you’d like.
Thinking about selling your Albuquerque home? Let’s talk through whether a pre-inspection makes sense for you.