Usually, home inspections have traditionally been paid for by the buyer as part of escrow, but if a seller does the inspection before placing their home on the market, which is called a prelisting inspection, this practice is always a good idea because if there are any issues the seller should know about them before they list the property. It's always best to find out now rather than later. Furthermore, this will allow the seller time to make the fixes and give them a chance to price shop to do the repairs.
Doing the inspection this way helps establish them as an honorable seller for the buyer as well as taking away any concerns the buyer might have before making an offer on the house. And being an honorable seller just might give them a competing edge over other sellers.
The sooner the seller can get the inspection done the better because they will be able to take out any negotiating power the buyer might have if the seller's home needs work done prior to sale.
The prelisting inspection can help the seller find out if the repair is a simple fix or if the area might require much more work should an underlying problem be discovered. It's always best to leave yourself at least a month after the inspection to get the repairs finished.
Following the inspector around during the inspection will give the seller the opportunity to observe and ask any questions about their home's condition and how they might address any issues. Additionally, once the written report is finished it will make more sense to the seller since they followed along during the inspection and that will give them a better understanding of the issues noted. In turn, they will be educated sellers to hire any needed contractors to handle any work that needs to be done.
Sometimes, buyers would rather the opportunity to accept a cash credit on the purchase price and perform their own repairs, especially if the troubled areas might be a place where they could establish their own tastes, such as flooring, wallpaper, built-ins and/or paint color. If the seller is already working with a listing agent, then they should ask which repairs buyers might want to handle themselves which will help save everyone time and money in the long run.
And finally, even if the seller does do a prelisting inspection that will not always necessarily replace the need that the buyers might have to do their own inspection, regardless if the seller provides the buyer a copy of their own inspection report as part of disclosure. Moreover, there's no guarantee that if a buyer does their own inspection that it won't find other defects that the seller will have to address. Doing a prelisting inspection shows the buyer the willingness of the seller to make sure things right and should promote a better, faster and smoother sale because time is money too.