Why is Preparing Your Home for an Inspection Important?
Requesting a home inspection is done by the homeowner or the potential buyer of the home. Before an inspector comes, look at your home with their eyes to prepare yourself for what they may find. Inspections are not pass/fail, but instead, a checklist of things that need to be addressed before the home is purchased or sold.
Comb through areas of the home — kitchen, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, basement, attic, garage, crawlspace, and any other areas — to ensure they’re ready for an inspector.
Curbside appeal is not just for the Realtors and potential buyers, it’s also the first thing that the inspector sees when he/she pulls up to do the home inspection. So, having the walkways and paths clear of clutter, keeping vegetation trimmed back from the house and other things up against the house removed or pulled away are great beginnings to allowing the inspector to ‘see’ all they need to. Check for drainage away from the house’s foundation – check the downspouts of gutter that they drain away from the house, as well as look for pooling of water- these are signs of potential moisture intrusion issues that the inspector will point out.
Inside, each room should be clean and accessible to the inspector. Everything such as lights, fans, smoke detectors and vents should work properly – put in new lightbulbs if needed. All rooms should be clean and free of dirt, mildew or mold. Check that all windows are accessible to the inspector. Remove anything hanging on doors or obstructing their normal operation.
Look under the bathroom and kitchen sinks and ensure the area is clear enough so the inspector can get an accurate inspection.
Next, have systems of the home accessible – the inspector needs to get to the furnace/cooling system, the water and electrical areas as well as full access to the attic and crawlspaces. Surplus storage should be evaluated in the attic area, for example, and moved or removed for the best inspection viewing and evaluating. Having the closet or utility room where the air conditioner is located should be free of clutter, and change the air filter while you’re thinking of it. A dirty air filter reduces the efficiency of the unit and the inspector may include that in the report.
Less of the simple, routine maintenance issues that can be addressed before the inspection, the better.
Lastly, make sure all access areas are unlocked, and freely available for the inspector. If they can’t access it, this will be noted on the report.
I hope these suggestions for what is the best way to prepare for an inspection help you prepare your home for sale. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email, text (337) 334-1800 or leave a comment on our Facebook page.
