Sellers inspections are home inspections (http://colesinspection.com/welcome/welcome.html) that are conducted before or shortly after a home is listed.  Robert Bruss, noted real estate columnist writing recently in the Charlotte Observer stated that  "The smartest home sellers have their homes professionally inspected before signing a listing.  Then the home seller knows about the home's defects and can either have them repaired before putting the house on the market or they can be disclosed to prospective buyers up front.  Prelisting Inspections (Sellers Inspections) are becoming very common."  Associated Press writer David Bradley reports in the Hickory Daily Record "The usual approach is to wait for an offer before inspectors scope out a home.  Once inspectors for buyers get involved, though, it opens a Pandora's box of costs and demands.  Buyers push the envelope: sellers, sometimes panicked by lack of offers, capitulate."  He gos on to say "(the pre-listing inspection) path is a proactive course easily emulated by others who know little about the real-estate sales process.  It's important for a basic, crucial reason: (the sellers) inspector represented their interest, not the buyers."  Without the information that a  pre-listing inspection provides, the buyer is in the drivers seat in terms of repairs and, more importantly, repairs costs. 

FAQ's about inspecting your home before you list:

1.  How easy is selling a house with a Seller's Inspection?
After the listing is signed, a Sellers inspection is performed. If significant damage or defects are found, there will be disappointment, but no hysteria or regret. No deal about to go sour. The agent will discuss the problems with you and will determine if this listing is "AS IS" with full disclosure, or if any repairs need correcting to expedite the sale. You will then correct any problem areas, and call for a re-inspection of the home. The home inspector returns, cleans up the report, and uploads the revised report to the internet INTERNET your web listing link so when a potential buyer looks at your listing they can also view the report.  Next, a buyer enters a contract agreement with the you. The Buyer will choose to trust the home inspection or, will have another inspection performed. The transaction proceeds as planned.

3.  Are seller's inspections just as thorough as a buyers inspection?
A home inspection is only as good as the home inspector. A thorough inspector who wants business, not lawsuits, will perform an unbiased inspection with integrity.

4.  But my home is "clean" and has no problems so why do I need a Seller's Inspection?
Most of the problems discovered during the home inspection are unknown to the home owner.  If your home has no problems then lets prove it by uploading the clean report to the HomeGauge web site, add the link to the listing with your agent and get that house sold fast fast fast!  
 

5.  Is the home inspection transferable from the Seller to the Buyer?
The home inspection should reveal the condition of the home at the time it was inspected. Components and materials age and can fail at any time. The information is naturally transferable to anyone who reads it. There is no warranty or guarantee and components will fail regardless of whether or not a home inspection was performed with the Seller or the Buyer. If the listing ages before the buyer comes along, the buyer can elect to have a fresh inspection at the normal cost. A reinspect is only to inspect any items that were repaired.

6.  The Report samples you have look great, but some areas in the examples show significant damage to certain areas of the home. How can this be a good thing to show on the web with my listing?
Excellent question. Quite frankly, it's not a good thing to show. But it exists nonetheless, why wait until you spend countless hours to bring a buyer, who in turn brings a home inspector. Then discover the damage and face all the negatives of inflated estimates, losing the sale, and your time spent. Then start the process again with the legal and ethical duty to give full disclosure of the defects and consider repairing the items or adjusting your price.

OR,

As soon as the Seller's Inspection goes up, it is time to talk with your agent. Only now, you and your agent are at the best advantage point in the whole process. If there exist some significant damage or a major defect you both know something has to give. Either the price or repairs. This will save you a big heartache of discovering there is a problem after you found your new dream home and have begun packing. Once you make the necessary repairs the home inspector can return and send a new report with clean pictures and comments. Now,you are set to coast downhill to closing!
The above steps are for when there is significant damage or a major defect found. However, when the home is clean, showing only normal adjustments for a door or a window, or typical items found on most homes, the report will be a selling tool. When a Buyer is intrigued about a home their looking to buy, a main reservation is wondering the condition of the home. By seeing the report right then, may produce a phone call for more info instead of clicking to the next ad. It's a great sales tool if your home checks out! And if your home needs repairs, then why not fix them on your terms and not the Buyers. After all, it is still your home.
 

More Good News about Pre-listing inspections

A Seller's inspection will virtually eliminate all the hassle a buyer's inspection causes:

1. No more renegotiations. 
2. No more deals that fall through when the home inspector finds a problem. 
3. No more do you have to deal with inflated cost estimates that will cost money. 
4. No more will you or your agent spend countless hours and dollars in energy and advertising to get a contract that is "blown out of the water" by surprise defects.

Knowing what defects are present at the initial listing creates enormous benefits:

1. It will allow the agent and you to discuss what items should be fixed and what should not.
2. It will substantiate your price, or may convince you to rethink the asking price. 
3. It will be full disclosure protection for you and your agent. 
4. It will allow you to shop around for the best price to repair (not an inflated price that a Buyer would use to make sure all is covered). 
5. It streamlines the process.