Understanding how to prepare for a home inspection is something more sellers should consider. Unfortunately, many do not.
Knowing what to do before a home inspection can often save your sale from falling through.
A common thing in most Real Estate transactions is a home inspection paid for by the buyer and performed by a licensed professional home inspector.
Buyers will have a home inspection, whether for a house, condo, townhome, or even a less conventional home like a modular home.
When selling Real estate, a home inspection is typically performed within the first couple of weeks after the buyer submits an offer and the seller accepts it.
The Real Estate lingo used is called a “home inspection contingency.”
This contingency is spelled out in the agreed-upon Real Estate contract.
The traditional language in most purchase and sale agreements allows the buyer to terminate the contract if severe structural or mechanical defects are found during the home inspection.
Most contracts will have a specified dollar amount that allows the buyer to revoke the contract if issues are discovered more than this agreed-upon figure.
In a Real Estate transaction, the home inspection is one of the biggest hurdles a home seller faces for a successful sale.
You will want to have your home in the best possible condition before the home inspection occurs.
From my experience as a Realtor for the past thirty-eight years, I can tell you that home inspection is where most home sales fall apart.
It behooves a homeowner to take the necessary steps to ensure you have a smooth transaction. One of the milestones in the home sale process will be preparation for the buyer’s inspection. I will provide the best practices so you have the knowledge to get past this crucial stage in the transaction.
Let’s examine everything you should know.
Advice, Facts, and Statistics
1. Clear any clutter and make sure all areas of the house are easily accessible for the inspector.
2. Check that all utilities, such as water, electricity, and gas, are turned on for the inspection.
3. Ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed and functional.
4. Make necessary repairs, such as fixing leaks, replacing faulty electrical outlets, or repairing damaged surfaces.
5. Gather essential documents related to the property, including permits, warranties, and maintenance records, to provide to the inspector.
6. Over 90% of homebuyers find it helpful to make a list of questions for the inspector before the inspection.
7. Approximately 80% of homeowners thoroughly clean their homes before a home inspection.
8. Studies show that homes with a well-maintained exterior have a 35% higher chance of receiving a favorable inspection report.
9. Around 70% of homeowners declutter their living spaces to improve visual appeal during inspection.
10. Research indicates that attending the home inspection in person can increase understanding of issues by up to 50%.
Steps on How to Prepare For a Home Inspection
So, how do you adequately make preparations for a home inspection? It may seem obvious, but ensuring your property is in tip-top condition is often overlooked before an inspection.
A home inspector is not necessarily looking at your mess. Still, an unkempt home will give the impression of uncaring owners who may miss regular maintenance of items that shouldn’t be neglected. Having a clean house, on the other hand, shows pride in ownership.
Every home seller should remember that the buyer’s inspection almost always becomes a second round of negotiations, especially when it is a buyer’s real estate market.
The buyer may ask you to fix a long list of discovered defects, provide them with a seller’s concession to deal with the issues, or, worse, just back out of the agreement altogether.
To be prepared, you should eliminate defects before the house goes on the market!
Buyers will likely have a home inspection checklist to identify common problems they want to be investigated more thoroughly.
Home sale preparation is one of the keys to selling Real Estate today anyway, so getting your home ready for the inspection only makes sense.
One suggestion to make the home inspection go more smoothly is to make it easier for the home inspector to do his job.
Making Your Property Accessible Accessible For The Inspector
A couple of simple things you can do are to make sure the inspector can access the attic, the entire basement, and any crawl spaces.
It is a good idea to allow easy access to these areas so the home inspection process can proceed smoothly. The inspector will certainly appreciate not having to create clear access by moving your things.
Often, I have been at inspections where the attic hatch is located in a closet and is blocked by clothes or other personal items.
In a basement, you will want to ensure the inspector can see everything and move around near all the exterior walls. A clear path around all the mechanical items, including the furnace, water heater, and electrical panel, will also be necessary.
These are easy tips for preparing for a home inspection.
When selling a home it is not a bad idea to have a pre-listing home inspection and fix any significant issues.Click To TweetHave a Pre-Listing Inspection
The #1 way a seller can be ready for the buyer’s inspection is to do one themselves beforehand.
I usually answer yes when potential sellers ask if they should have an inspection. A pre-listing inspection can uncover potential problems before a buyer’s inspector does.
There could be significant issues you weren’t aware of or things you thought were minor but significant.
Some sellers don’t want to spend the money, but getting a pre-sale home inspection could save you many heartaches. The cost of a home inspection is minor, considering the sale price of a home.
Lots of transactions fall apart because of a lousy inspection that spooks buyers. By inspecting before putting your home on the market, you can discover if there could be any significant deal breakers.
The size of the home will dictate how long a home inspector takes to complete their job, but you can expect at least a few hours.
Inspected houses give buyers and sellers confidence.
Hire a Thorough Home Inspector With Extra Credentials
A real estate agent can recommend a professional home inspector, preferably someone associated with the American Society of Home Inspectors. ASHI-certified inspectors have undergone extra rigorous training to ensure excellent work.
When you do a pre-sale inspection, you’ll get a detailed home inspection report you can use to correct problems worth correcting, especially if they are safety issues.
You can make a home inspection checklist and work through it before listing for sale. An inspection report allows you to refer back to it as needed.
You can also have the home inspection report available for buyers to view if you have resolved most issues. Buyers will appreciate the documentation.
They will love knowing you have gone the extra mile to make your house as appealing as possible. In the long run, having an examination is a wise move.
If you don’t feel doing a pre-sale inspection is necessary, at least be aware of the common issues frequently occurring in examinations. Please do your best to remedy them before the inspection takes place.
Getting your home in good shape will help ensure a smooth real estate transaction.
What Do Home Inspectors Check?
Expect the home inspector to go over your house with a fine-tooth comb.
Inspectors typically start on the outside and work their way to the interior. They will be very thorough in checking everything they can visually see.
Be prepared for the home inspector to look for the following on the exterior of the home:
Exterior Inspection Items
- They will look for proper grading to ensure water does not easily enter the home.
- They will look for visual damage to the driveway, such as cracking or damaged pavement.
- Inspectors will check the entire home for wood rot, commonly found at window sills and trim boards.
- They will check the structural integrity of the deck.
- They will look for structural cracks in the foundation.
- Checking the connections of electrical wiring coming into the home is commonplace.
- All inspectors will look at the roof, including the shingles and signs of problems with the sheathing.
The inspection of the inside of the home will also be thorough. Plan for the inspector to check the following in the interior of your home:
Interior Inspection Items
- Signs of any water penetration into the building.
- Inspectors will check for structural defects such as the sills, foundation, supports, etc.
- They will check all the major systems, including the plumbing, heating, electrical panels, electrical outlets, and HVAC systems.
- Weather permitting, depending on the season, an inspector will check the air conditioner to ensure it is running efficiently.
- Professional inspectors will check the inside and outside of any chimneys and fireplaces.
- They’ll check for signs of insects or rodents such as termites, ants, mice, and others.
- They will check for floor defects, such as cracking, shifting, or bows.
- Inspectors will also check the windows for mechanical function as well as the failure of seals.
- They will do a visual inspection of any major repairs that have been made.
- Lastly, they will check for other kinds of disrepair and minor defects.
Depending on the home’s size, you can expect an inspection anywhere from 1.5-5 hours. Most inspections last 2-3 hours.
Common Defects That Are Found
One of the best ways to prepare for a buyer’s home inspection is to understand some of the most probable defects the inspector will likely find.
Some defects are found in many homes you may not have even paid much attention to as a homeowner. After living in a house for many years, sometimes we get used to things a certain way.
Sometimes, we do not even consider that a minor defect may be a more significant issue for someone else.
With this knowledge, you can make corrections before your home goes on the market.
These vital home inspection preparation tips can go a long way in keeping your real estate transaction going smoothly.
Ceiling Stains Can Be Problematic
One of the things in homes that troubles home buyers more than anything else is the fear of water. Nobody wants to have a water issue in their home.
Over the years, I have sold thousands of homes, most of which have had some form of a ceiling stain.
The stain often occurred from something innocuous like a toilet overflowing or one of the kids leaving the shower curtain open.
Buyers, however, may not assume it is something so simple. In other cases, an ice dam could have caused a ceiling stain.
From the buyer’s perspective, the trick is determining whether the ice damming will repeatedly occur due to a roofing or gutter defect.
In some instances, it may be a rare occurrence where there was a twenty-five-year storm.
In any event, you will want to make sure the ceiling stains are removed. I would not leave evidence of water. Signs of water damage turn off home buyers tremendously.
Be prepared for wise home buyers to ask if you have ever had a claim against your homeowner’s insurance.
Electrical Violations Are Commonplace
Electrical issues are common in homes where Mr. homeowner has decided to make improvements independently and has not hired an electrician.
Often, work is not done to code, which creates issues. Other more prevalent problems include a lack of GFI outlets (Ground Fault Interrupter) in the kitchen and baths.
These are outlets designed to eliminate the possibility of electrocution if water comes in contact with electricity.
Double-tapped electrical breakers are another example.
A double tap occurs when a breaker in the electrical panel has more than one wire. It creates a hazard from too much current passing through one breaker.
Non-grounded outlets are another defect you commonly see, along with many others. Many of these are minor repairs but will be worth fixing as they are considered safety issues.
Many inspection issues are found in electrical panels and electrical systems.
Improper Bathroom Venting Causes Issues
Almost every home with a bath fan dumped the exhaust into the attic years ago. Over the years, it was discovered that doing this provided the perfect breeding ground for mold in attics.
This makes perfect sense as you add some moisture into a less-ventilated space. The thought of mold can easily cause a buyer not to want to purchase a home.
Building codes have since changed. In most homes built today, a bath fan must vent to the house’s exterior, often through the roof. Check your attic for mold if you have not been there for a while.
I have found that when an inspector discovers mold, the owner usually never knew it was there. It’s one of the areas of the home many homeowners rarely visit. This leads to the potential for undiscovered problems.
Selling a house with mold can be challenging, so you will want to tackle this problem.
Rotted Wood is a Red Flag
Rotted wood is usually caused by a lack of maintenance, such as waiting too long to paint your home. When uncovered wood is wet for too long, it tends to rot.
The most common areas include exterior trim, window trim, and regions around decks.
While rotted wood can occur in any home, many homes built in the 1980s used “finger-jointed” woodwork, an inferior product.
Maintenance issues are common but can lead to significant problems nonetheless.
Minor Plumbing Defects Are Typical
It is infrequent not to find minor plumbing defects. The good news is that they are usually straightforward to fix.
Some of the more common problems include dripping faucets, loose toilets, and slow or leaky drains. Home inspectors also bring to light leaky valves on boilers and water heaters.
Most of the time, these are not significant issues but routine maintenance that a plumber or a heating contractor must do.
Failed Window Seals Show Up
A failed window seal is something you see quite often in homes. You know a window seal has failed when you look at a window fogging. This means the thermal seal between two panes of glass has leakage.
Most homes today are built with thermal pane windows (two panes). You see more houses built in the ’80s with this condition.
Minor Chimney Defects Are Not Uncommon
The most common defects in chimneys are cracks and re-pointing or mortar. More often than not, these are found at the very top of the chimney and have occurred over time due to the elements.
More significant issues happen when larger cracks around found from the base of the chimney move upward. This could indicate more of an unsafe structural issue.
Look Out For Mold and Radon
Mold and radon are two of the biggest deal killers in real estate. Before a home inspection, you should ensure you have neither of these issues. Preferably, you should check before your home even goes on the market.
Mold is something you can not be sure of unless someone tests it in the mold industry. You can, however, reasonably identify what could be mold. Most of the time in homes, it will be a black substance on the walls or ceilings. Selling a house with mold can be problematic, so never discount this issue.
The most common places to find mold are attics, basements, and baths. Selling a home with mold is difficult. Make sure you deal with this problem before listing for sale.
Radon is a gas found under the ground that enters the home through cracks in the concrete or dirt floor. It is a known carcinogen, and most buyers are very aware of this.
While there are no federal laws regarding radon removal, most buyers will request you to remediate it if it is higher than the suggested passing limit, which is 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter).
Removing radon in the air is relatively easy to do. When it becomes a much more substantial expense, it is having to remove radon from water.
Disclosure or Fixing Items Before Your Sale
If you have the money to repair the typical home inspection defects mentioned above, it will make sense to take it upon yourself to ensure you do!
If money is tight, however, I will suggest that I do this for all of my Real Estate clients.
You should fill out a Real Estate disclosure form and have it available for a buyer to see before they make an offer.
When filling out this disclosure, you want to detail all the defects you know about your home.
In many states, filling out a seller’s disclosure form is mandatory.
It is not prevalent in Massachusetts, but sellers and buyers should be familiar with what must be disclosed in their state.
It is far more difficult for a buyer to renegotiate after a home inspection if the defect has already been pointed out in black and white before making an offer.
Are you beginning to see why preparing for a home inspection is a common-sense activity that every seller should consider?
The Home Inspector Often Arrives Early
As a home seller, you should be aware that most home inspectors will arrive at your home before the scheduled inspection time.
Typically, the inspector will come anywhere from a half-hour to forty-five minutes ahead.
Inspectors will do this so they can walk around your home, observing the property before the buyer’s arrival.
This will give the inspector a leg up on looking professional once the buyer gets there and asks questions. It is a common practice in real estate for the seller not to be around while the home inspection occurs.
However, there are things you can do to make the home inspector’s job much easier before they leave your home.
Quick Tips For Preparation
- If you have moved out of the house, ensure the power remains. Please ensure all light bulbs are working by changing them before the inspection. The inspector will want to be able to view all areas of your home. Also, they won’t need additional time to see if the receptacle is not working or is just a blown light bulb.
- Thin out your closets of clothes so the inspector can see inside them.
- Remove items away from basement walls that will be inspected for cracks and water penetration.
- Do not block any access points to enter crawl spaces if there are any.
- If there is access to the attic in a closet, ensure it is accessible.
- Please change the filters to your furnace and leave any service tags so the inspector can see them.
- Ensure that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functioning correctly.
- Ensure your bath fans are vented out through the attic.
- Make sure there are no loose or running toilets.
- Ensure there is a clear path around the home with any shrubbery trimmed away from the house.
- If your home is vacant, ensure the power is on, and there is fuel so the systems can be inspected.
- Leave a diagram of where your well and septic system is located for the inspector.
If you have moved out of the house, ensure the power remains. Please ensure all light bulbs are working by changing them before the inspection. The inspector will want to be able to view all areas of your home. Also, they won’t need additional time to see if the receptacle is not working or is just a blown light bulb.Never Try to Conceal Defects
Above all else, do not try to conceal any defects you know are present in the home. The home inspector is going to find the issue anyway.
Trying to cover up problems will raise a significant red flag. The last thing you want is for a buyer to think you are dishonest.
All this will do is leave a bad taste in the buyer’s mouth and put you behind the eight ball when the home inspection negotiation process begins.
Hopefully, by now, you have realized preparing for a home inspection is a vital part of a real estate transaction and one of the keys to keeping your sale on track!
Make Sure Your Real Estate Agent is Present
With the home inspection being a critical hurdle to clear, you must ensure exceptional representation! That means your real estate agent should be in attendance to listen to what defects are discovered.
Never discount the fact that buyers will exaggerate problems the inspector discovers. You want your agent to be there to see and hear precisely what took place. This doesn’t mean your real estate agent should be argumentative with the inspector.
Buyers need to remember the purpose of a home inspection is not to present a punch list of times to ensure the home is perfect.
A top real estate agent representing your best interests will be there for you to point this out when the time arises. There is no such thing as a perfect home. Every property will have some level of defects.
Final Thoughts
When the inspection arrives, you can feel confident knowing things will go smoothly when you’ve taken the time to prepare appropriately.
The sale of your home should proceed smoothly to the next phase. It is an essential step in the journey to the closing table, and selling a turn-key home will raise your sale price.
Hopefully, the information here has been helpful, and you are ready for your home inspection. Understanding how to prepare for a home inspection is one of the critical aspects of selling a house.
Other Helpful Home Inspection Resources
- The most frequently asked home inspection questions—see some of the most asked questions about home inspectors. These questions should help in preparation for the home inspection.
- How to find an ASHI-certified home inspector via the American Society of Home Inspectors. Learn why an ASHI home inspector has additional qualifications that not all inspectors have.
Use these additional helpful resources to get on track before a home inspection. They will help increase the chances of getting past this critical milestone in a real estate transaction.
About the Author: The above Real Estate information on how to prepare for a home inspection was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill has expertise in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. For the past 38+ years, Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
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