How to prepare for your home inspection

When selling a property, home inspection is a crucial step in the process. Many sellers often wonder, “What does a home inspection involve?” and “What are home inspectors looking for?” Crepps Home Inspection is here to guide you through the process and ensure your property is in top shape for the inspection. By following these steps, you can minimize the inspector’s time on site and the issues that we call out in our reports and reduce the need for revisits because nobody wants to pay us to go back out or be inconvenienced again.

1. Utilities On

Home inspectors will confirm that water, electrical, and gas services are active. A full inspection is not possible unless the utilities are on. If they are off, the inspector will likely need to return once they are on, and additional fees may be incurred.

2. Pets & Kids

Pets – Pets can obstruct the inspection process. We like pets also, but a barking dog can be very distracting, and worrying about cats running away shouldn’t be the inspector’s responsibility. While we realize we are in your home, we are there in service to the buyers. It might hinder your transaction if we can’t communicate effectively with them. More than once, I’ve seen a loud barking dog spoil the mood during an inspection. Which should be an exciting time for the buyers.

Kids – Look, Stephen has 5, and I have 12. We’re perfectly comfortable with kids around, and we clearly like kids. But your kids are not our kids, and we certainly can’t be in the position of inspecting your house while they are home alone. It’s only happened a few times over the years, so it probably goes without saying, but if you’re not home, please ensure your kids aren’t. We will try and work around naptime, however, so just communicate what you need; just know that the buyers might attend, and at that point, we no longer have control.

3. Light Bulbs

Replacing all burned-out bulbs will eliminate unnecessary comments in the home inspection report. Making sure fan remotes are close by will also help. It sounds silly, perhaps, but we don’t know if the fixture works unless the bulbs work.

4. Smoke Detectors

We don’t check the functionality of smoke detectors, but we do make a note if they are old, missing batteries, or not in the right locations. I’ve got missing detectors in my own home too, but in Louisville, it’s a requirement for the sellers to update the detectors anyway, and having them operational and ready will just reduce the size of the inspection report.

5. HVAC Filters

We will check the HVAC air filters. Dirty or ill-fitting filters can lead to more significant issues and are a red flag during inspections. When they are dirty it can also cause some of our measurements to be off, resulting in possibly unnecessary HVAC service calls.

6. Accessibility

Anything blocking access to HVAC equipment, electrical service panels, water heaters, attics, and crawl spaces must be removed. Clear access is crucial for a thorough inspection. While I know most attic access are in closets, the buyers will want us to check these areas, and we’ll just have to return to the property if we can’t get in there the first time. We don’t need everything removed, but we need to be able to get our ladder underneath. Panels are often blocked as well. While we are capable of moving your stuff out of the way, we’re really not supposed to. We don’t know which box has Granny’s precious china.

7. Unlocking Necessary Areas

Along the same lines – all areas, including the electrical service panel, the garage doors, and exterior gates, should be unlocked to facilitate a smooth inspection process. Nothing slows us down more than going through the house every time we need to get to the backyard, etc.

8. TRIMMING OF TREE LIMBS AND SHRUBS

Tree limbs should be at least 10 feet from the roof, and shrubs should not be too close to the house. This is best practice as a homeowner, and doing so can eliminate some of the common comments we make in our reports.

9. REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF BROKEN ITEMS

Inspectors will look for broken or missing items and will recommend repairs or replacements where necessary. I know this is obvious, but the goal here is to reduce the size of the report. Sellers often think that home inspectors “just have to find something,” but I assure you, I’ll be just fine the day I leave a house with nothing to write up. And look, most of these items aren’t significant, but they do go into our reports. So, if you can, fix the obviously broken items.

10. DOWNSPOUTS

Downspouts very often dump water around the foundation. This can cause so many different issues. Nearly every report includes something about them. Extending them 6′ into the yard with solid tile will make your house perform better and eliminate the need for us to comment about them in the report.

CONCLUSION:

Understanding what a home inspection involves and what home inspectors are looking for can significantly ease the selling process. Crepps Home Inspection is committed to providing comprehensive and detailed inspections to ensure buyers are well-informed about the property’s condition. By addressing the areas mentioned above, you can expedite the inspection process and avoid any potential surprises that could hinder the sale of the property. You can also minimize the size of the report. Most buyers will choose a handful of items they would like addressed on a report. If you can address these beforehand, you can save yourself some stress as a seller.

Then contact Crepps Home Inspection for a thorough inspection of the property you’re buying. Mention this blog or the code SELLER and save 10%!