One of the most common frustrations in selling a house is experiencing a nearly-complete deal fall through at the last minute. Imagine being in the process of moving out yourself, when you suddenly realize you will have to maintain both your old place and your new place. When the deal is close to being made, last-minute discoveries can result in unfavorable compromises for the homeowner, just to push the sale through. An independent home inspection made prior to closing can prevent this and save a seller a great deal of stress, time and money. Pre-listing inspections are highly recommended for homeowners to prepare the house for market. By enlisting the aid of an independent inspector, you can get a realistic idea of what it will take to sell your house before even meeting a realtor. With this in mind, your entire transaction can be efficient and stress-free.

Moving can be very stressful, especially when you have to do it in a hurry. A certain Lafayette area resident got transferred to another state by the company he worked for and had 90 days to sell his house and move his family. He had lived in his home for two years without major issues, and it was a newer home. However, in the current housing market, nothing is certain.

He did find a buyer with very little time to spare, but the deal came within a hair's breadth of falling apart because the inspector hired by the buyer found a serious issue with the septic tank. The buyer was about to walk away, but the resident was able to bargain for 24 hours in which to correct the issue - and save himself from having to make two payments on two houses in two different states.

Having thrown all his chips on the table, the resident scrambled to find someone who could fix the septic tank fault within 24 hours. He managed it, but the monetary cost and the stress factor were high.

With a pre-listing inspection, the seller would not have had to fix a major issue at the last moment and would have saved himself both money and the threat of a lost sale. Make sure your closing runs smoothly - hire your own inspector before listing your house for sale!