Do You Get Your Own Inspection Before Listing a Flip?

[Ali Kalaei]

I never really thought about this until recently. You finish the rehab, the contractor says everything is good, you do the final walkthrough and put it on the market. Then the buyer’s inspector shows up and somehow finds 15 things nobody noticed. Now you’re negotiating credits on work you probably could’ve fixed for a fraction of the cost beforehand. For people doing flips regularly, do you actually pay for your own inspection before listing? Or do you trust your GC and punch list and just deal with whatever the buyer finds?

[James J. Rezendes II]

Your GC is focused on his scope, not what a buyer's inspector will find. When you skip it, the buyer's inspector becomes your project manager—and you're negotiating credits on work you could've fixed for a fraction of the cost beforehand. That is my 2 cents

Pay for the inspection every time. It costs $400–600 and saves you thousands in negotiation leverage later.

Your GC is focused on his scope, not what a buyer's inspector will find. When you skip it, the buyer's inspector becomes your project manager—and you're negotiating credits on work you could've fixed for a fraction of the cost beforehand.

Control the narrative, not the other way around.