Pre-Listing Inspection
Footprints Property Inspections shows Northeast Ohio sellers exactly what a buyer's inspector is going to find, while there's still time to do something about it on your own terms.
The owner holds the InterNACHI Certified Master Inspector designation, the highest credential in home inspection, earned after a minimum of 1,000 verified inspections. Footprints is ASHI Certified as well, so your pre-listing report is held to the same standard as the report a buyer's inspector will produce.
See the report before the buyer does
Somebody is going to inspect your house. The only real question is whether you find out what's in that report before or after you've accepted an offer. A pre-listing inspection puts you first in line.
We walk the property the same way we would for a buyer. Roof, structure, foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, attic, basement, grading, and drainage. You get the same annotated photo report a buyer would get, except it arrives while you still control the timeline.
Repairs cost less when you aren't on a deadline
When a defect surfaces during the buyer's inspection period, you have days to respond, one contractor's availability to work with, and a buyer whose agent is asking for a credit that rarely matches what the fix actually costs. Leverage sits on the other side of the table.
Find the same item eight weeks earlier and it's a different conversation entirely. You get three quotes instead of one. You schedule the work when a contractor isn't charging a premium for a rush. Or you price the home with the issue disclosed and skip the repair altogether. All of those are better than negotiating under a clock.
Deals fall apart at the inspection more than anywhere else
Most purchase agreements around here die during the inspection contingency, and it usually isn't one catastrophic finding. It's a report with a long list of unknowns that makes a nervous buyer more nervous. Surprise is what kills the deal, not the furnace.
A seller who hands over a recent inspection report and a stack of repair receipts changes that dynamic. The buyer sees a house that's been looked at honestly by someone with no stake in the sale. That's a materially different feeling than opening a report full of items nobody knew about.
Older housing stock gets a harder look
A lot of what sells around Akron, Copley, Barberton, and the older Summit County neighborhoods was built between the 1920s and the 1960s. Buyers' inspectors know that, and they look hard at the things that age out: galvanized supply lines, original electrical panels, aging service entrances, foundation parging, and roofs on their second or third layer.
We look at the same things, and we tell you which ones are genuinely worth addressing before listing and which ones a buyer will accept as normal for the age of the home. Not every finding needs a contractor. Knowing the difference is most of the value.
Disclosure, handled the straightforward way
Ohio sellers complete a Residential Property Disclosure Form covering known material defects. Some sellers worry that inspecting first means they'll be obligated to disclose more. In practice, most of what an inspection turns up is either something you already knew about or something you're better off knowing than being blindsided by later.
How you handle the report is your call, and it's worth a conversation with your agent or attorney. What we can tell you is that a seller with documentation is in a stronger position than a seller relying on hope, and repaired items with receipts attached tend to end the discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I schedule a pre-listing inspection?
Is a pre-listing inspection the same as a buyer's inspection?
Do I have to fix everything the inspection finds?
Will the buyer still get their own inspection?
How much does a pre-listing inspection cost?
Related Services
Service Areas
- Summit County (Akron, Copley, Fairlawn, Bath)
- Medina County (Medina, Wadsworth, Brunswick)
- Portage County (Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro)
- Stark County (Canton, North Canton, Green)
- Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Geauga Counties
Business Hours