Advantages of presale home inspection

Q. We are planning to sell our home, and our Realtor advised us to hire a home inspector prior to listing the property. A friend told us this is an unnecessary expense because buyers are the ones who pay for home inspections.

We just want to sell our house without a lot of needless expense. Who is right, and what do you recommend?

A. Your friend is right that buyers usually hire home inspectors, but your Realtor is also right because there are definite advantages in hiring your own home inspector before placing your home on the market. When sellers hire a home inspector prior to selling their home, they obtain the five following benefits:

• A presale inspection enables you to provide a more thorough disclosure of defects, thereby reducing your liability for problems that might be discovered after the sale;

• A presale inspection allows you to make needed repairs before marketing your home;

• A presale inspection positions you for an as-is sale, enabling you to provide full disclosure of what "as-is" means;

• A presale inspection prevents your having to renegotiate the terms of the sale after the buyers hire their own home inspector;

• A presale inspection establishes trust in the minds of buyers by demonstrating your willingness to disclose all defects.

As long as you hire a home inspector who is highly qualified and experienced, the benefits to you are a total win. Therefore, it is essential that you find the most qualified inspector available. If the buyers also hire a home inspector, you don't want their inspector to find defects that your inspector missed.

Q. Heavy smokers have moved into the condo on the floor below mine. Their secondhand smoke is infiltrating my home and is affecting my health to the point that I've considered selling my condo. The law does not require my smoky neighbor to seal his unit, and the condo association only deals with exterior repairs and problems. I'd like to know how this smoke is getting into my unit and what kind of contractor or specialist to call who can prevent smoke from entering my living space.

A. There are no contractors who specialize in this kind of work, but an experienced builder or handyman may be able to seal the walls and the floor surfaces that separate your living unit from the one that belongs to the smoker below. This kind of work can be quite involved, calling for attention to detail. Temporary removal of the carpets will be needed to enable the application of sealants and caulking. Additionally, all wall penetrations, such as electrical outlets and switches, will need to be sealed.

According to reports from other condo owners with this same problem, there is no guarantee that these efforts will be successful. If you sell the property, you may simply have to disclose the problem to future buyers and hope for ones who are not offended by tobacco smoke. Perhaps, you could post a for-sale-by-owner ad at a local cigar store.

• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.

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