How a Pre-Listing Inspection Can Keep Your Sale on Track

Louisiana REALTORS® • September 24, 2025

When you’re selling your home, the last thing you want is for the deal to fall apart right before closing. Unfortunately, that can happen more often than you might think. The good news is there’s a way to protect yourself from unwanted surprises and keep your sale moving forward smoothly: a pre-listing inspection.


Common Reasons Home Sales Fall Through

Even when a home is under contract, there’s no guarantee the sale will make it to the closing table. One of the most common reasons a deal falls through is the home inspection. If significant issues are uncovered during that process, buyers may decide the house isn’t the right fit after all.


Home Inspection Findings Can Impact a Sale

A home inspection can reveal problems that buyers weren’t expecting, from structural concerns to costly repairs. When that happens, buyers often face an important decision: ask the seller to make fixes, renegotiate the price, or walk away entirely.

If the seller isn’t prepared or willing to address repairs, it can create stress and uncertainty for the buyer. For many, that’s enough to cause them to back out of the deal rather than take on the expense or responsibility themselves.


Protect Your Home Sale With a Pre-Listing Inspection

One of the best ways to stay ahead of these challenges is by scheduling a pre-listing inspection before putting your home on the market.

A pre-listing inspection is exactly what it sounds like: a professional inspection you complete before listing your home for sale. It allows you to see what a buyer’s inspector is likely to find, giving you the chance to fix problems or prepare for negotiations before they ever come up.


Benefits of a Pre-Listing Inspection

1. Tackle Repairs on Your Terms
You’ll know about potential issues in advance and can decide whether to fix them before buyers ever step through the door.

2. Avoid Price Drops and Last-Minute Renegotiations
When buyers uncover problems after you’re under contract, it often leads to concessions, like lowering your price or offering repair credits. A pre-listing inspection helps prevent those surprises.

3. Build Buyer Confidence
Having an inspection report ready shows buyers you’ve taken care of your home and are serious about selling. That transparency builds trust and can help your home sell faster with fewer back-and-forth negotiations.


Is A Pre-Listing Inspection Right for You?

Not every situation calls for a pre-listing inspection, but it’s an option worth considering before listing your home. An agent can help you decide if it makes sense for your home and your area.

An experienced agent will:


Spending a few hundred dollars on a pre-listing inspection could save you thousands in repair costs, price reductions, or canceled contracts later on. More importantly, it gives you peace of mind knowing you’ve done everything possible to keep your sale on track.

Ready to sell with fewer headaches and more peace of mind? Partner with an agent that is a REALTOR® today and take the first step toward a successful sale.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 4 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 3, 2026
This week, the Legislature remained in high gear, and several items relevant to Louisiana’s real estate market moved into focus. The biggest headline for our industry this week was HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert , our wholesaling/consumer-protection bill, was slated to be heard on the House floor, however was bumped due to floor congestion and out-of-order bills. It is now expected to be reset for next Tuesday. This bill remains one of the clearest “market integrity” efforts on the board with clearer rules for non-traditional transactions, stronger transparency and better consumer protections. We also continued substantive policy work behind the scenes. We are actively engaging with Rep. Carver on a vacant land disclosure bill he has authored, and we appreciate that he is welcoming our input and guidance as the language is refined. Our goal is straightforward: ensure any vacant land disclosure framework is practical, reduces confusion and avoids unintentionally shifting liability or enforcement burdens onto real estate professionals. In addition, we were pleased to deepen our relationships at the Capitol this week. We had the privilege of hosting a lunch for the Governor’s Office, enjoyed meeting Governor Landry’s team, and look forward to working with them in a constructive, solutions-oriented manner as the session continues. Finally, Rep. Hebert also filed an additional measure that aligns with our legislative agenda and speaks directly to transaction risk management: HB 1027 , which would limit liability for licensed real estate appraisers in situations involving smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance. The current law already provides that real estate agents are not liable for a seller’s failure to comply with Louisiana’s detector requirements in one- or two-family dwellings. HB 1027 would extend that same liability protection to licensed appraisers by amending R.S. 40:1581(F). This is a clean, common-sense clarification that helps prevent appraisers from being pulled into compliance disputes that properly belong with the seller’s statutory obligations. Next week, committees are scheduled to hear multiple bills relevant to real estate, including measures involving construction and roofing standards (often tied to insurance and mitigation), property rights/expropriation, and property tax and adjudicated property issues that can influence housing supply and neighborhood reinvestment. We will stay closely engaged and will flag any bills or amendments that materially affect transactions, homeownership costs or private property rights. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

Cookbook for the REALTORS® Relief Foundation!

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 2, 2026
Louisiana REALTORS® is compiling a cookbook of Louisiana flavor with a REALTOR® heart in support of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation . And we have two ways for you to get involved:  Join us in contributing your favorite recipe using this online form. If you want to include a picture with your recipe, send to info@larealtors.org and reference recipe title in email subject. Or share your creativity by designing the cover artwork for the cookbook. A small committee will review all entries and choose one to print on the cover. Stay tuned for more details on when you can grab your own copy of the cookbook! Cover artwork and recipes are due by April 17th.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 3 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • March 27, 2026
Week three of the Regular Session kept real estate issues in the conversation, even as lawmakers continued to focus heavily on workforce, tax and insurance policy. On the property tax front, measures to reshape assessments and exemptions, including proposals for a new blight rehabilitation exemption and additional relief for seniors, remain parked in the House Ways and Means Committee as stakeholders work through fiscal and local government concerns. These bills matter because they will influence long-term carrying costs, redevelopment incentives and how tax burdens are shared across residential and commercial property. Homestead related legislation, including parish level authority to increase the exemption amount, is also in the queue, signaling that the broader structure of Louisiana’s homestead system is officially on the table, not just the dollar figure. For homeowners and buyers, this debate goes directly to affordability. For local governments, it raises revenue stability and service delivery questions. There also has been movement on several identical pieces of legislation that would instruct parish assessors to develop a process for homeowners to permanently register for the homestead exemption for the duration that they own and live on the property. We are actively tracking legislation that will directly shape how investor activity and non-traditional transactions are recognized and regulated in Louisiana’s real estate market. This includes HB 468 by Troy Hebert , a key component of the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package that targets the wholesale of residential real estate, which was heard in the House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill is currently positioned for a floor vote early next week. As drafted, HB 468 represents a major step in the right direction for consumer protection in Louisiana, advancing needed guardrails through potential disclosure, registration, and practice standards that could redefine how assignment contracts and “off-market” transactions intersect with licensed brokerage activity. In parallel, HB 292 by Delisha Boyd passed the House on final reading, 86-3, and is on its way to the Senate. Together, these measures represent a coordinated policy effort to bring greater structure and transparency to emerging transaction models, while preserving the integrity of the traditional brokerage framework. Finally, the broader policy backdrop remains important: the Governor continues to push income tax changes and cost of living relief, while business and industry groups are prioritizing insurance, workforce and energy — each a key driver of long run housing demand and investment. As these debates evolve, we’ll keep you updated on what moves, what stalls and what it all means for your clients, your pipeline and private property rights across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
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