If you’re thinking about selling your home in Cerritos, California, one of the smartest questions you can ask before putting your property on the market is:
Should I get inspections done before I list my home for sale?
Should you get inspections before selling your Cerritos home? It depends on the property and your situation. A pre-listing inspection may help identify potential issues before you’re under contract, giving you more time to evaluate repairs, pricing, disclosures, and your selling strategy. However, pre-listing inspections aren’t necessary or appropriate for every Cerritos home seller.
Hi, I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group, and when I help a homeowner prepare a property for sale, I want to understand the home’s condition before unexpected issues begin affecting the transaction.
My goal is not to tell every seller to inspect everything or repair everything.
My goal is to help you prepare intelligently before buyers begin evaluating your home.
Selling a home involves more than deciding on a price and putting the property on the MLS.
Before buyers walk through your door, there may be important questions to answer about the home’s condition.
Does the roof need attention?
Is there termite or wood damage?
Are there safety concerns?
Is the air conditioning system working properly?
Could there be an issue that affects your expected net proceeds?
Those questions become even more important if you are selling your Cerritos home and using the proceeds to purchase another property.
An unexpected repair expense can affect more than the sale.
It can affect your next move.
A pre-listing inspection is an inspection a homeowner chooses to have completed before putting the property on the market.
In many real estate transactions, the buyer conducts inspections after the seller accepts an offer.
A pre-listing inspection gives the seller an opportunity to learn about certain property conditions earlier.
Depending on the property and circumstances, I may discuss inspections such as:
A general home inspection
A roof inspection
A termite or wood-destroying pest inspection
Other specialized inspections may also make sense depending on the home and anything that is discovered.
The point is not to create more work.
The point is to learn whether there are potential issues that could affect your sale.
One of the biggest reasons is to avoid surprises.
Imagine you are preparing to sell your Cerritos home.
You have estimated how much money you expect to receive from the sale.
Maybe you are already planning to use those funds toward your next home.
Then, after you accept an offer, the buyer performs inspections and discovers a major termite problem, roof issue, or another expensive condition.
Now you are dealing with that information under the pressure of escrow deadlines.
The buyer may ask for repairs, credits, a price adjustment, or another solution depending on the contract and circumstances.
That can create stress and may affect your financial plans.
If you learn about a problem earlier, you may have more time to evaluate your options.
They can help you become more informed.
I would not promise that an inspection will automatically save you money or prevent every issue.
But information gives you time.
If a problem is discovered before listing, you may be able to:
Get additional professional opinions
Obtain repair estimates
Decide whether to make repairs
Consider selling the home in its current condition
Adjust your selling strategy
Better understand how the issue could affect your net proceeds
That is very different from learning about a major issue after you are already under contract.
Termite and wood-related conditions are something sellers may want to consider before listing.
Imagine expecting to receive a certain amount from your home sale and then discovering substantial termite or wood damage during escrow.
That expense could affect your net proceeds.
And if you are buying another home, it could affect the amount of cash you have available for your next purchase.
A termite or wood-destroying pest inspection may identify certain conditions before you are under contract.
That does not necessarily mean you must repair everything found.
It means you have information you can use when deciding how to prepare and market the home.
The same idea applies to the roof.
Suppose a roof inspection identifies significant issues before your Cerritos home goes on the market.
Now you have time to evaluate the situation.
You may decide to obtain additional estimates.
You may decide to complete certain repairs.
You may choose to sell the property in its current condition.
Or the condition of the roof may affect how you price, disclose, and market the property.
There is not one correct answer for every seller.
But I would rather discuss the issue before listing than discover it unexpectedly while you are already in escrow.
The condition of major home systems can also affect a transaction.
An inspection may identify concerns involving areas such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, moisture, structural components, or other visible and accessible areas within the inspector’s scope.
Finding a problem does not automatically mean you need to replace or repair everything.
It gives you more information so you can make a better decision about your selling strategy.
No, not automatically.
This is an important distinction.
A pre-listing inspection is not simply a list of repairs that a seller is automatically required to complete.
Repair obligations can depend on the purchase agreement, negotiations, financing requirements, disclosures, applicable laws, and other circumstances.
That is why I want my sellers to understand the difference between:
Knowing about an issue
and
Being required to repair an issue
Those are not always the same thing.
Depending on your situation, selling your home as-is may be an option.
But “as-is” does not necessarily mean the seller can ignore applicable disclosure obligations or prevent the buyer from conducting inspections.
Buyers may still investigate the property.
Lenders may still have certain requirements.
And known property conditions may still need to be disclosed as required.
If you are considering selling your Cerritos property as-is, the condition of the home, pricing, marketing, financing, disclosures, and contract terms should all be considered together.
There is no single inspection package that fits every Cerritos home.
However, depending on the property, I may discuss these three areas.
A general home inspection can provide information about visible and accessible parts of the property within the inspector’s scope.
It may identify potential issues involving various systems and components of the home.
A roof inspection can provide more information about the current roof condition and possible areas that may need attention.
If the roof is older or you already suspect a problem, this may be particularly useful.
A termite or wood-destroying pest inspection may identify termite activity, wood damage, dry rot, or other conditions within the inspection’s scope.
Again, the purpose is to gather information.
It is not automatically an instruction to repair everything.
This is one of the biggest reasons I want Cerritos homeowners to plan ahead.
If you are selling your Cerritos home and purchasing another property, the two transactions may be financially connected.
You may be relying on your sale proceeds for:
Your next down payment
Closing costs
Reserves
Moving expenses
Other costs associated with the next purchase
Now imagine discovering a large unexpected repair expense during escrow.
That expense could change your plans.
This is why I want to understand not only the home you are selling, but also where you are going next.
Your selling strategy should take the larger move into account.
They may help you plan more accurately.
One of the most common questions sellers ask is:
“How much money will I actually walk away with after selling my home?”
Your final net proceeds can be affected by many factors.
Possible repair costs are one of them.
If you discover potential property issues before listing, you may have a better opportunity to estimate what those issues could mean financially.
That does not guarantee your final proceeds.
But it may reduce some uncertainty.
Potentially.
Suppose a buyer discovers a major issue for the first time after you are already under contract.
That issue may become part of a repair, credit, or price discussion depending on the transaction.
If you already know about certain conditions, you may have more time to determine how you want to approach them.
The buyer may still conduct their own inspections.
The buyer may still make requests where permitted.
But you are not learning about the problem at the same moment they are.
That preparation can be valuable.
They may.
A seller’s pre-listing inspection does not necessarily replace a buyer’s inspections.
A buyer may want to hire their own inspectors and conduct their own investigations of the property.
That is normal.
The potential benefit to the seller is that you may already know more about the home’s condition before the buyer begins their investigation.
This depends on the issue, the property, the transaction, financing, and other circumstances.
Some conditions may deserve attention before the home goes on the market.
Other issues may be handled differently.
I do not want a seller automatically spending money on every item without first understanding what it is, what it may cost, and how it fits into the overall sale.
That is part of preparing strategically.
It depends on your property and situation.
A pre-listing inspection may make sense if learning about the home’s condition before you go under contract would help you prepare, budget, or make better decisions.
I do not recommend the exact same strategy for every seller.
Start by evaluating the property before spending money.
I recommend looking at the home’s condition, potential repairs, staging, professional photography, disclosures, pricing, and marketing strategy before deciding when the property should go live.
It may be worth considering depending on the property and circumstances.
A termite inspection can potentially identify certain pest activity, wood damage, dry rot, or related conditions before the buyer conducts their own investigation.
If you are concerned about the roof or its condition could affect the sale, a roof inspection may provide useful information.
The decision depends on the home and your selling plan.
Not automatically.
What you may be required or agree to repair can depend on the contract, negotiations, financing, disclosures, applicable requirements, and individual transaction.
Potentially, yes.
Homes in many different conditions are sold.
The appropriate pricing, disclosures, marketing, financing considerations, and negotiations depend on the property and transaction.
Depending on the circumstances, yes.
But selling as-is does not necessarily eliminate disclosure obligations, buyer investigation rights, lender requirements, or other contractual considerations.
It depends on the repair.
Some repairs may help the home present better or reduce potential issues later.
Others may not make financial sense.
Before spending money, I recommend evaluating the home and developing a preparation strategy.
They may.
A pre-listing inspection does not guarantee that a buyer will not make repair requests or conduct additional inspections.
The advantage is that you may be better prepared for those discussions.
Property condition can affect pricing, buyer perception, negotiations, and marketing.
How much an issue matters depends on the nature of the problem, current competition, market conditions, and the specific home.
There is no universal timeline.
Some homes require very little preparation.
Others may need repairs, staging, inspections, cleaning, landscaping, photography, or other work.
The earlier you start the conversation, the more time you have to make informed decisions instead of rushing.
Your home’s potential market value depends on the property itself, condition, upgrades, location, relevant comparable sales, competition, and current market conditions.
An online estimate may be a starting point, but I prefer evaluating the actual home before discussing a pricing strategy.
Preparing a home for sale is not simply about cleaning the house and putting it on the MLS.
I want to understand the property’s condition, determine whether inspections make sense, discuss repairs, evaluate how those decisions could affect your proceeds, and make sure your larger moving plan is considered.
If you are selling your Cerritos home and purchasing another property, that preparation becomes even more important.
The goal is not to eliminate every possible surprise.
No one can promise that.
The goal is to reduce avoidable surprises and give you more information before important decisions need to be made.
If you are thinking about selling a home in Cerritos, contact me before you start spending money on repairs or making major changes to the property.
I can help you look at the home, your goals, your timeframe, and your next move so we can develop a plan that makes sense for you.
If you are still researching and want additional resources to help you prepare before listing your home, I created my Sure Seller Course for homeowners who want to better understand the selling process.
Access my Sure Seller Course HERE.
Start with the course, and when you are ready, contact me so we can discuss your Cerritos home, what preparation may make sense, your selling timeline, and where you are planning to go next.
I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group.
And remember:
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
CHRISTINE ALMARINES
Real Estate Agent | CA Real Estate Group | Caliber Real Estate
📱 714-476-4637
📧 christine@carealestategroup.com
DRE #01412944
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County.
This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal, inspection, pest-control, roofing, lending, financial, tax, or other professional advice. Property conditions, inspections, disclosure obligations, repair requirements, financing requirements, contracts, and transaction circumstances vary. Consult the appropriate licensed professionals regarding your individual property and transaction.
If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may be wondering:
Should I get a home inspection before I list my house for sale—or should I wait for the buyer to do it?
That’s an important question because a problem discovered after you’re already under contract can potentially affect your negotiations, your timeline, and the amount you ultimately walk away with from the sale.
Hi, I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group, and one of the things I want my sellers to understand before listing is the condition of their property and the potential issues that could arise during the transaction.
I don’t recommend pre-listing inspections in every situation.
But for some homeowners, having certain inspections completed before the home goes on the market may provide valuable information and help reduce unexpected surprises later.
Here’s what sellers should know.
Should you get a home inspection before selling? It depends on the property and your circumstances. A pre-listing inspection can help identify potential issues before you’re under contract, giving you more time to evaluate repairs, pricing, disclosures, and your selling strategy. However, a pre-listing inspection isn’t necessary or appropriate for every home seller.
A pre-listing inspection is an inspection a homeowner chooses to have performed before putting the property on the market.
In many transactions, buyers conduct their own inspections after an offer has been accepted. A pre-listing inspection allows the seller to potentially learn about certain property conditions earlier in the process.
Depending on the property and circumstances, inspections a seller might consider can include:
Other specialized inspections may be appropriate depending on the home and issues identified.
The goal isn’t necessarily to find problems so you can fix everything.
The goal is to know more about the property you’re selling before you’re negotiating with a buyer.
One of the biggest reasons is simple:
Surprises can become expensive.
Imagine you’re selling your current home and purchasing another property.
You’ve calculated how much you expect to receive from your sale, and you’re relying on those proceeds for your next purchase.
Then you’re under contract and the buyer’s inspections uncover a significant termite issue, roof problem, or another major repair.
Suddenly, the buyer may request repairs, a credit, a price adjustment, or another solution.
Whether you’re obligated to agree depends on the contract and circumstances, but now you’re dealing with information you didn’t factor into your original plan.
That’s precisely the type of situation I want to discuss with my sellers before it becomes an urgent problem.
It potentially can, but I wouldn’t promise that an inspection will automatically save money.
The more accurate benefit is information and preparation.
If you discover an issue before listing, you may have more time to understand it, obtain additional professional opinions or estimates when appropriate, and determine how you want to approach the sale.
Compare that with discovering a significant problem while you’re already in escrow and working against contractual deadlines.
Preparation gives you options.
And when you’re making one of the largest financial transactions of your life, having more information can be valuable.
Every home is different, but an inspection may identify conditions involving areas such as the roof, plumbing, electrical systems, heating and cooling systems, moisture, structural components, safety concerns, or other visible and accessible areas of the property.
A termite or wood-destroying pest inspection may identify issues such as termite activity, wood damage, dry rot, or other conditions within the scope of that inspection.
The exact scope varies by inspection type and provider.
An inspection doesn’t guarantee that every issue with a property will be discovered.
It can, however, provide information that you didn’t have before.
This is a good example of why learning about potential problems early can be helpful.
Suppose an inspection indicates that your roof has significant issues.
Now you have information to evaluate.
Depending on your circumstances, you may consider obtaining additional professional opinions or estimates and discussing your options for addressing the condition.
You might decide to make repairs.
You might decide not to make certain repairs and market the property accordingly.
Or the information might affect other aspects of your pricing and selling strategy.
The important point is that you’re making the decision before you’re surprised by it during a buyer’s inspection period.
Termite-related work can potentially become a substantial expense depending on the extent of the problem.
The original scenario I use with sellers is simple:
Imagine discovering a termite issue after you’re already under contract and finding out that addressing it could cost thousands of dollars.
Now imagine that you’re also purchasing another property and were counting on those sale proceeds for your next transaction.
That unexpected expense could affect your plans.
A pre-listing termite inspection may give you an opportunity to learn about certain conditions earlier and discuss how you want to handle them.
Not necessarily.
Finding an issue and being required to repair that issue are not automatically the same thing.
What a seller is required to repair can depend on the purchase agreement, negotiations, disclosures, lender or loan requirements, applicable law, and other circumstances.
A seller may also have disclosure obligations regarding known material facts or conditions.
This is why I don’t look at a pre-listing inspection as simply a repair checklist.
I look at it as information that can help us prepare for the sale, while appropriate inspectors, contractors, attorneys, lenders, and other professionals advise within their respective areas.
Depending on your circumstances, selling a property as-is may be an option.
But “as-is” does not necessarily mean a seller can ignore applicable disclosure obligations or that a buyer cannot investigate the property.
It also doesn’t mean the buyer will automatically accept every condition they discover.
If you’re considering selling as-is, the property condition, pricing, disclosures, buyer expectations, financing, and contract terms should all be considered.
For some properties and sellers, it may be worth considering.
For others, waiting for the buyer’s inspections may make more sense.
Some of the questions I consider with a seller include:
Do you suspect the home has significant issues?
Is the property older or are there systems you are concerned about?
Are you relying heavily on a specific amount of proceeds from this sale?
Are you purchasing a replacement property?
Would an unexpected repair request create a financial problem?
Would knowing more about the property’s condition help you plan?
The answers can help determine whether pre-listing inspections deserve further consideration.
There isn’t one mandatory pre-listing inspection package that applies to every seller.
However, three inspections I may discuss depending on the property and circumstances are:
A general home inspection can provide information about visible and accessible components and systems within the inspector’s scope.
A roof inspection can help provide information about the roof’s current condition and potential concerns that may need further evaluation.
A termite or wood-destroying pest inspection can identify certain pest activity and wood-related conditions within the scope of that inspection.
Depending on what is discovered, additional specialized evaluation may be appropriate.
Here’s where preparation can potentially become valuable.
If the buyer discovers a significant issue for the first time during escrow, it may become part of a repair or credit discussion, depending on the contract and circumstances.
If you already know about certain conditions, you may have more time to determine how you want to approach them before listing.
That doesn’t mean a buyer can’t perform their own inspections or make requests where permitted.
It means you aren’t learning about the issue at the same time they are.
There’s a big difference between reacting to unexpected information and having time to prepare for it.
They may provide additional information that helps with financial planning.
When sellers ask, “How much will I walk away with after selling my house?”, we can estimate various transaction costs based on the information available.
But unexpected property-related expenses can change that calculation.
If you’re depending on a certain amount from your sale—particularly if you’re purchasing another home—understanding potential property issues earlier may help you develop a more informed plan.
It doesn’t guarantee your final net proceeds.
But it can potentially reduce some of the unknowns.
This is one situation where I particularly want to discuss potential surprises.
If proceeds from your current home are important to purchasing your next home, an unexpected expense during escrow could potentially affect the larger plan.
Your current sale and replacement purchase may be financially connected.
That’s why I don’t want to look at your sale in isolation.
I want to understand where you’re going next, what you need from the current transaction, and what could potentially interfere with that plan.
Providing buyers with information about a property’s condition may help them evaluate the home, but I would not promise that an inspection will make every buyer more confident or prevent additional inspections.
A buyer may still choose to conduct their own investigations.
What a pre-listing inspection can do is provide additional information earlier in the process.
For some transactions, that can help everyone have a clearer understanding of known property conditions.
Not necessarily. Requirements can vary based on location, property, contract, transaction, and other circumstances.
A seller may choose to have an inspection completed before listing even when it isn’t required.
Practices vary by market and transaction. In many residential transactions, buyers arrange and pay for their own inspections during the investigation period.
If a seller voluntarily orders a pre-listing inspection, the payment arrangement will depend on the inspection provider and agreement.
It can be useful when learning about the property’s condition before going under contract would help the seller prepare.
Whether it’s worthwhile depends on the property, seller’s circumstances, expected costs, and selling strategy.
Depending on the property, a seller may consider a general home inspection, roof inspection, termite or wood-destroying pest inspection, or other specialized inspections.
Not every property requires the same approach.
Not automatically.
Repair obligations can depend on the contract, negotiations, applicable requirements, financing, and other circumstances.
Sellers should also understand their disclosure obligations regarding known property conditions.
It may be worth considering depending on the property, location, condition, selling strategy, and transaction.
A termite inspection can potentially identify certain pest activity or wood-related conditions before a buyer conducts their own investigation.
If there are concerns about the roof—or knowing its condition could affect your selling plan—a roof inspection may provide useful information.
The appropriate approach depends on the individual property.
Potentially, yes.
Homes in different conditions are sold every day. The appropriate pricing, disclosures, marketing, negotiations, financing considerations, and contract terms will depend on the property and transaction.
An as-is sale may be possible depending on the circumstances.
However, selling as-is does not necessarily eliminate applicable disclosure requirements, buyer investigation rights, financing requirements, or other contractual and legal considerations.
They may.
A seller’s pre-listing inspection doesn’t necessarily prevent or replace a buyer’s own inspections and investigations.
Information about a property’s condition can potentially affect pricing, negotiations, repair requests, credits, and buyer perceptions.
How it affects a particular sale depends on the nature of the issue and the transaction.
If you and your real estate professional determine that pre-listing inspections make sense, completing them early enough to review the findings and determine your next steps before launching the property can be useful.
The purpose of considering a pre-listing inspection isn’t to scare you about everything that could be wrong with your home.
It’s about preparation.
If there is a significant roof issue, termite problem, safety concern, or another property condition that could affect your sale, I would rather discuss whether learning about it earlier makes sense than have you unexpectedly discover it when you’re already under contract.
And that becomes even more important if you’re depending on the proceeds from your sale to purchase your next home.
I don’t recommend the exact same inspection strategy for every seller.
I look at the property, your goals, your financial needs, and where you’re going next before discussing the approach that may make sense.
If you’re thinking about selling your home and want to start preparing before putting your property on the market, I’ve created my Sure Seller Course with additional resources to help you understand the home-selling process.
Access my Sure Seller Course HERE.
Use the course to start preparing, and when you’re ready to discuss your property, contact me so I can learn more about your home, your timeframe, and what you’re hoping to accomplish.
I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group.
And remember:
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
CHRISTINE ALMARINES
Real Estate Agent | CA Real Estate Group | Caliber Real Estate
📱 714-476-4637
📧 christine@carealestategroup.com
DRE #01412944
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County.
This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal, inspection, lending, financial, tax, pest-control, roofing, or other professional advice. Inspection findings, disclosure obligations, repair requirements, financing requirements, contracts, and transaction circumstances vary. Consult the appropriate licensed professionals regarding your individual property and transaction.
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