Sellers in Settle often provide prospective buyers a courtesy copy of a pre-inspection of their home. If you’re lucky, they may also provide a sewer scope.

In an environment where waiving the inspection contingency is commonplace, it helps remove buyer barriers to writing an offer. Tired buyers don’t have to shell out another 500 to 700 bucks to inspect a home they might not move into.

What you should look for:

• Look for what is missing – it can be as important as what is right in front of you.
• Gaps and omissions.

Here’s an example from a recent seller provided inspection report. I noted several obvious inspector pickups while touring the home with a client:

• Pooling water on a flat roof.
• A strong musty smelling garage.
• Staining on an upstairs ceiling – evidence of water and a potential roof leak.

When I got a copy of the report, none of the easily observable items were mentioned. There were no photos of the roof or readings from a moisture meter. Yet the roof was listed in the report as “satisfactory.” It gave me pause.

If there is a report, when should you hire your own inspector anyway?

When there are obvious omissions, you should hire your own inspector and get a second opinion. But you have to be looking for the gaps. Many buyers rely upon seller inspections to buy Seattle homes, but not all reports are robust. If there is not time to pre-inspect, you may be faced with the difficult decision to walk away.

Read to buy or sell? Send me an email and I’ll share the ingredients for getting the most for your home – starting with a robust inspection.