Who Pays for Home Inspection When Selling a House?

The home inspection is usually paid for by the buyer.

(Updated April 2025)

However, this is negotiable and there are some cases where the seller might pay for it. This depends on the agreement that was made between the two parties involved in the sale. If you’re not sure who should be paying for it, your real estate agent will be able to advise you.

The USDA follows suit, and it says the cost of a home inspection is typically the responsibility of the buyer, but it can also be paid by the seller if agreed upon and clearly stated in the purchase agreement. This ensures transparency and allows the buyer to access the inspection report for financing purposes.

The Home Inspection Fee

When deciding who pays for a home inspection, several factors can come into play, including the market conditions and the specifics of the purchase agreement. While the buyer typically pays for the home inspection, there are scenarios where the seller pays, especially in a buyer’s market or when proactive sellers arrange for a pre-listing inspection to attract potential buyers. A standard inspection often includes assessments of critical components like cooling systems, septic systems, and mechanical systems, but buyers may choose to conduct specialized inspections, such as pest inspections or radon gas testing, depending on specific concerns.

The inspection findings can influence repair costs, price reduction negotiations, or even determine whether the deal proceeds. Both parties benefit from the transparency provided by the inspection report, ensuring the property is a sound investment. It’s important that buyers work with a qualified inspector to conduct their own inspections and thoroughly evaluate major issues or necessary repairs identified during the process. Whether a seller chooses to address certain repairs or the buyer orders additional evaluations, understanding responsibilities through the contract supports a smoother real estate transaction.

a graphic that say home inspection checklist

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Typical Costs of a Home Inspection

A general home inspection is a critical part of real estate transactions, serving as a tool to assess the condition of a property before closing the deal. The cost of a home inspection can vary, but buyers typically pay for this service, which ranges between $300 to $500 on average, depending on factors like the square footage, market conditions, and regional pricing.

Occasionally, a pre-listing inspection may be completed by proactive sellers looking to address necessary repairs early, potentially leading to a smoother sale and avoiding major issues that could derail a purchase offer.

A standard inspection covers structural components, cooling systems, mechanical systems, and often includes checking for radon gas or other specialized risks. Add-ons like pest inspections or septic system evaluations may carry additional costs. If the inspection findings reveal issues, repair costs become a point of negotiation between buyers and sellers, with sellers sometimes offering a price reduction or covering certain repairs as part of the contract.

A qualified inspector ensures thorough reporting, and inspecting multiple factors helps both parties feel confident they are making a sound investment. If the seller pays or the buyer remains responsible, then addressing the results of the inspection ensures the property is ready for the next chapter.

Find out what needs to be fixed before you put your house on the market

When you’re selling a house, many things go into the home buying process. One of those is the home inspection. The home inspection is an important part of the selling process. This is your chance to find out what needs to be fixed before you put your house on the market. The buyer will likely want to have an inspection done as well, so everything must be in good condition. If any major repairs need to be made, you will need to take care of them before selling.

Get a comprehensive report of all potential problems and things that need attention

A home inspector will go through your house and check for any potential problems. They will also look at things that need attention. You will receive a report of all the findings. This is important because it will help you determine what needs to be fixed before selling. It’s also helpful in negotiating the final sale price, and knowing what the seller to pay so everyone knows their costs. Also know your closing costs.

Home inspection costs vary depending on the size and location of the property

The cost of a home inspection varies depending on the size and location of the property. Typically, it costs between $200 and $500. However, if the inspector finds any major repairs need to be made, the cost will be higher. It’s important to get a few quotes from different home inspectors before making a decision.

Don’t neglect the importance of the home inspection

The home inspection is an important part of the selling process. Don’t neglect it or try to cut corners. The buyer’s agent should help advice the buyer. This is your chance to find out what needs to be fixed before you put your house on the market. It’s also helpful in negotiating the final sale price. Make sure you are prepared for what the inspector might find. Have a list of repairs that need to be made and get estimates for how much they will cost. This way, you can be prepared to negotiate with the buyer.

We hope that this blog post has helped answer your question! Typically the home buyer pays for the inspection.

If you have any other questions about selling a house, our team would be more than happy to help. If you need a buying a home help, advice, or anything real estate related, contact us today to get started.

Check Back for Updates

Be sure to check back for updates on home inspection topics, including details on the home inspection report, inspection contingency, buyer’s inspection process, and how much a home inspection may cost, as well as guidance for home inspection buyers on experiencing inspection results, addressing needed repairs, understanding seller’s responsibility, and evaluating the home appraisal to ensure your home purchase is a good feeling backed by a clear purchase offer and earnest money, along with tips on square footage, repairs based findings, and when to recommend specialized inspections, such as a rental property inspection, or consult a general home inspector when inspecting the buyer’s future property.

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How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make in Kansas City?

There is no one answer to the question, “How much do real estate agents make in Kansas City?” That’s because it varies greatly depending on how successful you are, your years of experience, and such. However, there are some general guidelines that we can give you as an agent in Kansas city mo or ks. Many real estate agents in Kansas City earn between $30,000 and $100,000 per year. Of course, there are always those who earn more and those who earn less. It depends on how hard you work and how good of a negotiator you are. If you’re interested in becoming a real estate agent in Kansas City, then this blog post is for you! We’ll tell you how much money you can expect to make as a real estate agent in Kansas City.

Commission Earning Potential

The first thing you need to know is that real estate sales paid on commission. This means that your earnings will be based on the deals that you close. The more deals you close, the more money you’ll make. It’s also important to note that real estate agents in Kansas City typically work for themselves. This means that you’ll need to have a good amount of self-motivation and discipline if you want to be successful.

How Motivated are You?

So, how much money can you make as a real estate agent in Kansas City? It depends on how motivated you are and how successful you are. However, a year in Kansas City can earn between $30,000 and $100,000 per year. Keep in mind that these numbers can vary greatly depending on your level of success. If you’re motivated to succeed and have the skills necessary to be a successful negotiator, then you could make more than $100,000 per year. However, if you’re just starting and aren’t as motivated or skilled, then you may not make anything per year.

The best way to determine how much money you can make as a real estate agent in Kansas City is to look at your situation. How motivated are you? What skills do you have? If you have the drive to succeed and the skills necessary to be a successful negotiator, then you could make a lot of money as a real estate agent in Kansas City. However, if you’re just starting and don’t have much experience, then you may only earn $0 – $30,000 per year. Only you can determine how successful you’ll be as a real estate agent in Kansas City.

You can make a great living as a real estate agent in Kansas City

The sky is the limit as a licensed agent! However, you need to be motivated and have the skills necessary to be successful. If you have what it takes, then you can make a lot of money as a real estate agent in Kansas City. You only get out what you put into it. You might find yourself waiting for leads to come in. That’s where your grit and creativity come in to get you more business. You can also use your commission to invest in more training and education. Doing so will position you to make even more money as a real estate agent in Kansas City. Just remember, it takes hard work and dedication to be successful in any career.

There are many opportunities to earn more money in this field

If you are looking to get into real estate in the Kansas City Area or nearby in the United States, there is no better time. There are many different ways to use your real estate license that do not involve selling homes. You can be a

rental agent
property manager
real estate appraiser

There are also many opportunities for real estate brokers to open their firms. Each of these positions comes with its own set of opportunities to make more money. The key for the average real estate person is to find the path that interests you and go for it! If you are willing to put in the work, then you can make a great living as a real estate agent in Kansas City.

The sky is the limit when it comes to how much money you can make as a real estate agent in Kansas City. It all depends on how hard you work and how successful you are.

Real Estate Commission Scenario

Here is a look at how much money you can make based on the commission you earn.

If you sell a $100,000 house and your commission is set at five percent, then you will earn $5000.

Now, let’s say that you sell ten houses in one year. If each house is worth an average of $100,000, then you will earn $50,000 in commission.

Keep in mind that these are only examples. Your earnings could be much higher or lower depending on how successful you are, your split percentage with your broker, and how much business you generate.

Are you Ready to Become a Real Estate agent?

If you’re interested in becoming a real estate agent in the Kansas City area, then it’s important to know how much money you can make. The best way to determine this is to look at your situation and how motivated you are. If you have what it takes, then you can make a great living as a real estate agent in Kansas City. Just remember, it takes hard work and dedication to be successful in any career. Are you ready to become a real estate agent?

Join our Newsletter to Keep Learning!

Are you looking to get into real estate in the Kansas City Area? If so, then be sure to join our newsletter. We will send you regular updates on how to become a successful real estate agent as well as ways to make more money in this field. You can also find out more information by visiting our website. Thanks for reading!

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Lenexa KS March 2022

The Lenexa, Kansas housing market is red-hot

Buying or Selling a house in Lenexa Kansas? The market is red-hot. The last 15 days have seen 25 sales (closed) in this city and compare to 47 homes currently for sale – there’s just 0.9 months worth of inventory! That means deep demand from buyers coupled with low supply makes it a sellers’ paradise right now… but don’t worry because we’ve got your back if you’re thinking about making an offer on one these luxe listings near $450 average price point or higher
A quick look at recent activity reveals that most new listings came up within reaches ($ 450-$ 550).

Deep demand from buyers + low supply = sellers’ paradise

With the market in Lenexa Kansas being competitive, it’s important to know how your home will be perceived by potential buyers. Take these recent statistics for example: 25 out of 33 homes that recently went under contract did so within 31 days while only 5 were on average still available before their next listing date! This information may help you make an informed decision about what type or location would suit best with meet individual needs as well any financial goals they have set forth towards achieving homeownership sooner rather than later

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KC Housing Market January 2021

The Kansas City Real Estate Market

When you work in real estate like I do people often ask, “how’s the market”? Well, there are a lot of ways to answer that question. In the broadest sense the US national housing market is quite good. And, not just, pretty-good-for-a-pandemic good, but, actually good. To over-simplify what is going on, basically a low supply is balancing out the market right now. This is true nation-wide and true in the market I work in, the Kansas City metropolitan area.

As I am writing this the first week of January 2021, inventory for homes in Kansas City is very low and houses are selling fast. Even though this is typically a seasonally slow part of the year, the Kansas City market is one that is affected by weather, houses are not staying on the Kansas City area market long.

Right now there are just under 3,100 active listings in the Kansas City housing market area covered by the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORs. It is far more typical for that number to be over 5,000. In the popular sale price of $200,000 to $400,000 range there are just over 950 homes for sale. That’s not many for a metro area with a population of around 2.1 million. And, not to get too in to the weeds with what our regional association covers, but it is a geographical area larger than what the Census considers our metro area, so, those homes are spread even more thinly than the Census population would imply.

So, Is It A Good Time To Sell My Home?

Well, without knowing what type of home you have, what part of the metro area you are in and what your price point will be, the answer is probably yes. If your home is priced right, it is highly likely it will sell in the first 21 days it is on the market. Let’s take one segment of the neighborhoods in Kansas City metro area as an example, Johnson County. Currently there are just 90 single family homes for sale in the $200 – 400K housing prices range in Johnson County. In October of 2020 the sales of 591 single family homes closed in the $200 – 400K price point. In November it was 498. In December it was 483, and for December 12 of those closings were on the last day of the year. I don’t have enough space here to break down every part of the metro area, but the trends are similar everywhere. If you have questions about your area feel free to contact me for a market analysis for the area around your home. Unless your home is in a really inconvenient location (i.e. “hey I can see the highway from my front door, but I live 10 miles from the nearest on-ramp”), needs a major repair (i.e. it was struck by a tornado, while it was on fire, then a band of local ne’er-do-wells kicked the rubble) or has an inherent design flaw (i.e. the kitchen is on the third floor, and there is a bathroom smack in the middle of it) you can probably sell it. Home buyers will have their own opinion.

Well Then, It Is Probably A Bad Time to Buy Then, Isn’t It?

Well, that depends. If you have a life circumstance that requires you to move, say, you currently live in a one bedroom apartment, you and your spouse are expecting twins and you don’t want to rent again, then it is the right time to buy, for you. You can drive yourself crazy trying to time the market, the truth is no one knows when prices are at their lowest in the moment, it is only when we can look back can we see where the trough was. Prices are higher than they have been in the last 10 years, but, they could go higher still. Vaccines for COVID were just released, soon we will be on the down slope of a pandemic, it is hard to imagine the economy, and with it the housing market, not ascending as the pandemic subsides. So, if you want to buy a home, and you see one out there that you really, really like, and you’re qualified to buy it, then, this is a good time for you to buy a home. I would caution anyone who does not intend in staying in their home a long time to hold off until they know they are not going to have to move for at least 3 years though, even better if it is 5 or more years.

What About Real Estate Investors and Buying An Investment Property?

In this market, it is a lot like buying a home for yourself that you are going to live in, it might not be a bad time to buy a long-term real estate investment. Interest rates are low, so your debt service won’t eat into your cash flow. You maybe able to leverage equity you have gained in the ascending housing market in your own home to buy an investment property. If you are looking at multi-family properties,

there are projections that those could see market price drops around mid-year. But, this all depends on the property itself. Details on making investment properties work for you is a subject for another post, but without knowing what specific property you are asking about, in general terms, yes, there are real estate investment opportunities out there. Though, again, in general terms, there maybe one area where real estate investing could be more difficult than in the past, and that is house flipping. Make no mistake, there are always houses to be improved and sold for a profit, but, homes that need repairs (the ones historically best suited for flipping) aren’t discounted as much as they were in the past, inventory is low, so there isn’t as much competition from homes in better condition. Homes to be flipped are out there, but they are harder to find.

The real estate market is a big thing, if I were to classify it as either good or bad, I’d say it is good. However, for you specifically, it depends on what you want, what you need and where you are in life. This is where a consultation with a real estate agent can help a lot, if you want to see if now is the right time for you to buy, sell or invest give me a call.

Happy house hunting, we’ll see you next time.