February is upon us, and with that comes the start of the spring real estate market.

Last week I wrote about the never-ending challenges of always delivering consistent results in business and about how to ensure that the client experience is as smooth and reliable as possible - every single time.

One of the ways we achieve this is by following a strict protocol. A protocol can be defined as: "A system of rules, actions and behaviours that people or organizations must follow.” 

The key word there being "SYSTEM". It's a way for a business to ensure that specific steps are being followed in a specific order, as a way to eliminate the risk of errors and accidental omissions.

When we represent homeowners who are looking to sell their properties - one of the first action items in our protocol is for the owner to have the home inspected - well before the property even goes up for sale. 

"But why would I do that? Isn't the buyer going to inspect the home when they make an offer?" 

This is the most common response we get to this early step in our process. At first, it doesn't make much sense in people's minds. Why should they fork out $700 for an inspection when a buyer is going to perform one of their own anyway?

Good question. And I'll do my best to answer it.

As I wrote in Episode 5 last week, we have been through the labyrinth of home-selling many times before. We know how the process typically unfolds, and therefore we know what to expect and where the surprises lay hidden.
 
The biggest surprise, and the most stressful part of any home sale is always the building inspection. Most homeowners have very limited knowledge about the actual condition of their home. We all think our homes are in perfect shape, but compared to the eyes of a trained building inspector - we have no idea how far from the truth that can be. 
 
Building code standards are being updated and re-written every year. What may have been acceptable 10 years ago, might now be considered unsafe or even hazardous. Electrical issues are often the most common problems we see. Problems with attic spaces are another big one. How often do you think the average homeowner inspects their attic? And even if they do - how capable do you think they are of catching defects that a building inspector is trained to look for? 

The other problems we see most often are foundation cracks, pyrite, drain problems, aluminum wiring, asbestos, and mould. 

Any one of these issues could be lurking in your basement or attic undetected, waiting for an inspector's camera or flashlight to expose.
 
Now, assuming you discover one or more of these problems in your house - the question becomes, "WHEN would you rather find out about it?"

1. In advance, on your own terms, with no stress or pressure from a buyer or pending deadlines of an offer?

OR

2. After you have an accepted offer when you are now under the pressure of time constraints and a deadline? 

We know from experience that option 1 is far less stressful. It allows the seller to take their time to investigate the problem carefully, call in experts and professionals of their choice, obtain estimates and have the power to decide if they want to repair the issue, or simply declare it to all potential buyers moving forward. 
 
Option 2 on the other hand – can be a living nightmare. We've seen clients lose sleep in these situations, and in most cases they lose more than just sleep... they also lose money on the sale due to hefty price reductions following an inspection or even worse the buyer may walk away from the sale. The seller is then obliged to tell future prospective buyers that they had a sale fall through due to a building inspection issue, which must then be declared.

Case in point... we just conducted a pre-listing inspection for a client in Beaconsfield who's home is heated with an oil furnace. The inspection revealed that the connection between the oil tank and the furnace had been leaking. Luckily it was a relatively minor leak - only a few drops here and there... but it had been slowly leaking for quite some time now. By doing the inspection themselves, ahead of time, it allowed them to get in front of the problem. They immediately called their oil provider, who came right away, and repaired the leak. They were also able to then do a thorough clean-up of the entire area.
 
This doesn't mean the problem disappeared completely. They still have to declare the issue and explain what was found and how they went about correcting the issue. However, instead of this coming as a big surprise to a potential buyer in the middle of an offer... this problem will be disclosed up front with a detailed explanation of what happened. 
 
These are two very different ways of handling the same problem. Rather than discovering, "Oh no! We have an oil leak!!" (Panic sets in, stress levels go through the roof). We are instead declaring, "Please be advised that there was an oil leak, and it has been repaired and cleaned up. Receipts are available."
 
This way, most buyers will not be scared away by the sudden surprise. Instead, they feel confident and reassured that the seller is being fully transparent, and they are more likely to accept the fact that there was an oil leak - especially knowing that it has been professionally repaired and cleaned up. Any buyer who is NOT comfortable with that fact, will not bother to make an offer, and therefore won't waste our time going through an offer that would never work out anyway.
 
Any way you look at it - by doing an inspection first - sellers save time, money, and peace of mind. 
 
This is just one step in our service protocol system that goes to great lengths to protect our clients through every step and every turn. 
 
We do the same for buyers as well. Although the process differs considerably, the concept is the same: "A system of rules, actions, and behaviours that people or organizations must follow". 
 
As long as we do this effectively - we can almost guarantee a positive experience for every client, every time.

Signing off...

Captn' Mark