If you are planning to sell your home, then there is a good chance that it will be inspected once you have it under contract.
There are some things that you as the homeowner can do to help the buyer to get a more positive inspection report. Obviously, a better report will help the buyer to see the home more positively and, therefore, will increase the likelihood of selling your home.
In this post, I will tell you some things that you can do to minimize the number of write-ups or deficiencies that a home inspector will find and report on the inspection report.
I have inspected more than 6000 homes, and most defects that I report can be fairly easily corrected and eliminated from the inspection report, if the homeowner would just spend a little time getting the house ready for the inspection.
I think that you could eliminate half of the defects that a home inspector would have to report if you would just start preparing your home for the home inspection-to-come a month or so before a potential inspection.
Many issues with a home can be easily corrected and can be done practically at the last minute, while others are things that you need to do well in advance of the inspection.
It is up to you to decide how much you want to do. Just keep in mind that the more you do, the better the inspection report will be when the buyer receives it.
Before I get to the list of things that you can do to prepare for a home inspection, let me give you one caution.
Do NOT cover up or hide a defect. This is unethical and illegal. Fix it, caulk it, paint it, replace it, or leave it, but do not hide it.
Here is a list of things that you can do to prepare your home for a home inspection
Preparing the Interior:
- Make sure any burned-out light bulbs have been replaced.
- Put light globes on light fixtures in closets as these are required to prevent fires be something coming into contact with a hot light bulb.
- Replace any missing or damaged cover plates on light switches or receptacles.
- Put covers on junction boxes in the attic. This is a very common defect that I see. It is a simple thing to do that does not require electrical knowledge. It is normally just a matter of screwing a cover down on the junction box.
- Ensure your smoke detectors are working – and that you have them in all areas where they are required. (They are required in all bedrooms, in hallways adjoining multiple bedrooms, and on all levels of the home.)
- Check under all of your sinks and make sure the drain lines are not leaking. If you see a leak, it is often as simple as tightening up the fittings on the drain line.
- Make sure all sinks and tubs drain well. Use some drain cleaner or take apart and clean the drain trap on any drains that are slow.
- Fix any leaking faucets.
- Caulk around tubs and showers as small cracks commonly form over time — especially in the corners.
- Check your toilets. If they are loose or rock, tighten the bolts or use shims to tighten them.
- Replace any broken windows, and replace missing or damaged screens.
- Make sure all windows open and close easily. Many people do not use their windows at all, and after years of non-use, they are often difficult to open. (Safety codes require that there be an openable window in every sleeping room.)
- Adjust doors to make sure they open and close easily.
- Replace damaged weather stripping on exterior doors.
- Ensure that you have a clean filter in place on your HVAC system.
- Install a high loop on you dishwasher. This is a lot easier than it may sound and only takes five minutes. Here is a link that shows you how.
- Install an anti-tipping device on your oven.
Preparing the Exterior
- Clean debris off of the roof. Replace any damaged shingles. Trim any tree limbs that are touching or close to touching the roof and exterior walls.
- Clean out your gutters. Fix any areas where the gutters are loose or sagging. Reattach or replace any missing or loose downspouts. Add downspout extensions, if necessary, to ensure that the water drains away from the home’s foundation.
- Repair or replace rotted or damaged wood on the home.
- Scrape any loose or peeling paint on the siding and trim. Touch up any bare wood with new paint.
- Seal cracks in the brick veneer with a silicon-based exterior-grade caulk. You do not want to use a non-flexible mortar or concrete for this as it can cause further damage if the cracks try to close up at some point in the future.
Last-Minute Details
As the time for the inspection approaches, there are some last-minute items that you should take care of. These include:
- Clean your house. While home inspectors do not inspect the cleanliness of homes, they can be influenced by the cleanliness or non-cleanliness of a home. It is only human for us to assume that a clean house is better maintained than a dirty home is, so in some ways, a clean home can result in a better inspection report. A clean house is also much easier to inspect.
Ensure the inspector has access to important areas in the home.
- Make sure there is clear access to the attic, the electrical panel, the crawlspace under the home (if there is one), and the furnace.
- Leave the sink and the dishwasher empty since both of these will be inspected.
- Make sure the oven is empty as it will be turned on and inspected. I have opened the oven at several inspections only to find that the homeowner “hid” all of their pots and pans or dirty dishes in the oven.
- If the home is vacant, ensure that all utilities are on and that all pilots are lit.
Day of Inspection
During the inspection, the inspector will need to access the roof, attic, crawlspace, breaker panel, front and back yards, and all rooms in the home.
Also, all built-in appliances will be inspected. Accordingly, all of these need to be accessible as mentioned above.
- Plan to be gone from home during the inspection. (normally 2-3 hours)
- Take pets with you or secure them. Putting them in the backyard will not work as the inspector will have to go into the backyard.
- Leave keys to outbuildings, locked rooms, and closets since these will need to be inspected.
By doing these things, you will not eliminate every possible deficiency, but you will help to ensure that the inspection goes more smoothly and that there are fewer deficiencies to be found.
You may also want to consider having a pre-listing inspection done before or soon after listing your home.
A pre-listing inspection will identify the items that a prospective buyer’s inspector would also find. This pre-listing inspection would give you the opportunity to correct the deficiencies before they potentially become issues for your buyer.
© 2021 Mike Morgan
This article was written by Mike Morgan, the owner of Morgan Inspection Services. Morgan Inspection Services has been providing home, septic and well inspection services throughout the central Texas area since 2002. He can be reached at 325-998-4663 or at mike@morganinspectionservices.com. No article, or portion thereof, may be reproduced or copied without prior written consent of Mike Morgan.
