Selling without an agent means nobody is standing between you and a buyer’s inspection report. The cheapest way to keep control of your price is to know what’s in that report before the buyer does.
The problem with finding out late
Here’s the sequence that costs FSBO sellers money. You accept an offer. The buyer’s lender requires a WDI inspection. It comes back with evidence of termite activity. Now you’re eleven days from closing, the buyer is anxious, their agent is advising them, and you’re negotiating a repair credit under time pressure against a number you didn’t choose.
Buyers do not discount by the cost of the fix. They discount by the cost of the fix plus the anxiety, and the anxiety is the expensive part. A $795 treatment routinely becomes a $3,000 credit because nobody wants to be the one holding up a closing.
What a pre-listing inspection changes
You find out on your own schedule, with no contract pending and no clock running.
- If it’s clear, you have a dated report to hand any interested buyer. It removes a whole category of doubt from your listing, and it’s a genuinely persuasive thing to have in a FSBO deal where buyers are already slightly wary of a seller with no agent.
- If it isn’t clear, you get it treated at the ordinary price, on your timeline, from whoever you choose — and you go to market with the problem solved and the paperwork to prove it. That is a far stronger position than a credit negotiated at day 11.
Ohio’s disclosure form
Ohio requires most residential sellers to complete a Residential Property Disclosure Form, which asks directly about wood-destroying insects and about known defects. You have to answer honestly about what you know.
Worth understanding clearly: an inspection does not create a disclosure problem — it resolves one. If you have termites, you have them whether or not you looked, and a buyer’s inspector will find them in a few weeks anyway. Knowing lets you treat the problem and disclose a resolved issue, which is a much better sentence to write on that form than a vague one.
We’re not attorneys and this isn’t legal advice. If you have a question about what your specific disclosure obligations are, ask a real estate attorney — for a FSBO sale it’s worth the consult regardless.
What you get
$295. A licensed inspection recorded on the NPMA-33 — the same form a buyer’s lender will require — delivered as a PDF the same day we inspect, usually within one business day of booking.
Because it’s the standard form, your buyer’s lender will generally accept it if it’s recent enough, which can save your buyer a step and save your deal a few days. Most lenders want a report dated within 30 to 90 days of closing, so time it against when you expect to close rather than when you list.
If we find something and you have us treat it, the $295 comes off the treatment price, and you get the completion documentation to pass to your buyer.
When to book it
Before you list, and ideally before you photograph. If treatment turns out to be needed, a bait system install is typically a single visit, so this rarely delays a listing by more than a few days — but discovering it after you’ve accepted an offer costs you real money.
Frequently asked questions
Will my buyer accept my inspection, or do they need their own?
Generally yes if it’s recent and their lender is satisfied with it. Some buyers prefer to order their own, which is their right. Either way, you knew first — that’s the value.
Doesn’t finding termites hurt my sale?
Finding them late hurts your sale. Finding them early means you treat it, document it, and sell a house with a resolved termite issue and a warranty — which many buyers read as a positive.
What if I’ve already accepted an offer?
Call us anyway. Fast turnaround is the thing we’re set up for, and knowing today beats knowing Friday.
Do you work with agents too?
Yes — see inspections for realtors. If you end up listing with an agent after all, we work the same way for them.
How much is treatment if I need it?
Published on our pricing page — $795 installed for most homes. We publish it so you can budget before you book the inspection.
See also: all WDI inspections · termite treatment · treatment pricing
Greater Dayton Pest & Rodent · 733 Salem Ave, Dayton OH 45406 · (937) 569-3330 · Ohio Department of Agriculture licensed, lic. #170858