# Pre-Listing Inspection > A pre-listing home inspection finds the problems before your buyer’s inspector does, so you have time to get repair estimates and skip last-minute haggling. Canonical: https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/pre-listing-inspection Last updated: 2026-11-10 Have your house inspected before it goes on the market, so you can deal with problems, get repair estimates and avoid 11th-hour negotiations with a buyer. ## At a glance - **You find it first**: Problems turn up on your schedule, not in the middle of a conditional offer. - **Time for real estimates**: Get repair quotes at your own pace instead of guessing under a buyer’s deadline. - **Every structural component**: The same thorough look a buyer’s inspector would take, done before you list. - **Your report, your call**: Nothing in it goes to anyone else without your written consent. A **pre-listing home inspection** turns the usual order of a sale around. Instead of waiting for a buyer’s inspector to find problems after you’ve accepted an offer, you have the house inspected before the sign goes up, while there’s still time to decide what to do about anything that turns up. Jim Ward of Complete Home Inspections does pre-listing inspections for sellers across Norfolk, Haldimand, Brant, Oxford, Elgin and Middlesex counties. ## Why sellers book one Plenty of offers in Ontario come with a home inspection condition, which gives the buyer a few days to inspect and then either firm up, walk away or come back asking for a lower price. If their inspector finds a leaking flashing or an unprotected outdoor outlet, you hear about it late and under pressure, with little chance to get a second opinion or a proper price for the fix. Those are the 11th-hour negotiations a pre-listing inspection is meant to head off. Having your own report first gives you: - **No surprises in the conditional period.** You already know what a buyer’s inspector is likely to see. - **Time to get estimates.** Call contractors when it suits you, and compare quotes instead of accepting the first number. - **Choices.** Fix an item, price it into the listing, or simply disclose it. Each is easier with the facts in hand. - **A calmer sale.** When the big questions are answered up front, negotiations tend to stay about price and dates. ## What Jim looks at A pre-listing inspection investigates every structural component of the house, along with its roof, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, attic and insulation, basement or crawlspace, and the exterior. In other words, it’s the same ground a careful buyer’s inspector would cover, which is the point. Our guide to [what a home inspection covers](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/what-a-home-inspection-covers) goes system by system. Like all of Jim’s work, it is a visual, non-invasive inspection of what can be seen and reached. He won’t pull off trim or cut into a wall, so anything sealed behind finishes stays out of view for him, just as it will for your buyer’s inspector. ## The sort of thing that turns up Most of what a seller’s inspection finds is small, and cheap to deal with when there’s time. The photos Jim publishes from his own inspections include cracked bricks at a front door, a roof exhaust vent that was poorly flashed, a gap in the flashing, an exterior outlet with no GFCI protection, a trip hazard on a front sidewalk and cracked tiles on an upstairs washroom wall. Caught early, each is a weekend job or a quick call to a trade. Found by a buyer, each becomes another line on a list of things to negotiate. Renovations deserve a look too. One of Jim’s photos was taken in a property listed as professionally renovated, and the listing’s wording didn’t make the problem in the picture go away. If work was done on your house before you owned it, a pre-listing inspection tells you how it holds up before someone else asks. ## What to do with the report You get the same full-colour emailed report a buyer would, with all the photos, and you get it the same day. Each defect comes with a recommendation to monitor, repair or replace, which makes it straightforward to sort into three piles: fix now, get a price on, or leave and disclose. Your agent or lawyer can tell you what Ontario expects a seller to disclose. Don’t ask Jim to quote the repairs, though. He follows the InterNACHI Code of Ethics, which means he doesn’t offer repair work on a home he has inspected for 12 months afterwards, so his only stake in the findings is getting them right. ## Will buyers still inspect? Many will, and that’s fine. Their inspector works for them, and nothing about your pre-listing inspection changes that. What changes is that you’re no longer learning about the furnace or the flashing at the same moment they are. The report is yours: Jim won’t release it to anyone without your written consent, so you decide whether to share it, keep it for your own planning, or hand a copy to serious buyers. ## Timing and price Book the inspection before your listing photos are taken, so any repairs are done before the house goes on the market. Pre-listing inspections are priced on the house, so call 519-550-4998 for pricing, or [send the details through the quote form](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/quote). Jim is available 7 days a week. For general price ranges in the province, see [home inspection costs in Ontario](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/home-inspection-cost-ontario). Selling a house in town or in the country? Read about the [areas Jim covers](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas), including [Norfolk County](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/norfolk-county) and [St. Thomas and Elgin](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/st-thomas-elgin). If you’re buying your next place at the same time, his [pre-purchase home inspection](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/home-inspection) works the same way from the other side of the table. ## Typical prices CAD · HST included where shown | Item | Price | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Pre-listing inspection | Call for pricing | | Pricing depends on the house. Call Jim at 519-550-4998 with the address and square footage. ## Questions people ask ### Is a pre-listing inspection worth it? For many sellers it is, because it moves the surprises to before the listing. You get time to fix things or get repair estimates instead of negotiating under a buyer’s deadline. ### Who sees the report? Only the people you choose. Under the InterNACHI Code of Ethics Jim follows, nothing about the inspection is released to a third party without your written consent. ### Can Jim do the repairs he finds? No. He doesn’t offer repair work on a home he has inspected for 12 months after the inspection, so his findings stay independent. Get estimates from contractors you choose. ### How much does a pre-listing inspection cost? Call 519-550-4998 for pricing. It depends on the size and type of the house. ### Do I have to fix everything in the report? No. Each item comes with a recommendation to monitor, repair or replace, and what you do about it is up to you. Your agent or lawyer can advise on disclosure. ## Related - [Home Inspection](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/home-inspection) - [What Does a Home Inspection Include? A System-by-System Checklist](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/what-a-home-inspection-covers) - [How Much Is a Home Inspection in Ontario? 2026 Costs](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/home-inspection-cost-ontario) - [Home Inspection in Norfolk County](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/norfolk-county)