How to prepare for a home inspection
If you’ve gotten to the point of thinking about your home inspection, the odds are good that you’ve got a contract on your home—congrats!
The last thing you want is to get caught with surprises in the home inspection that could delay the closing or cause the buyer to walk. If you prepare a bit in advance, you can help alleviate some of the potential issues and help the process along.
1. Clear access
The home inspector has to look under every rock, so make it easier by making said rocks freely accessible! Think about your electrical box, furnace, hot water heater, air conditioning units, attic door and any other possible locked spaces. For example, if the attic is in a closet, be sure to move clothes and items underneath that might be in the way.
2. Clean clean clean
It does make an impression when a home inspector walks into a home that isn’t well kept. You may think they can overlook that, but it’s best to not make them have to. Most buyers will request that the home be clean before they purchase anyway, so it will just get you a head start. One tip you may not know about is to be sure and not leave dirty laundry in the washing machine or dryer. The home inspector will likely check those appliances, and it might embarrass everyone if they have to drag your dirty laundry out.
3. Leave the utilities connected
Even if the house is vacant, the home inspector is going to have to check every light switch, faucet and toilet. Be sure to keep the utilities connected because if the inspector can’t check to see if these are all functioning properly, they can’t do their job.
4. Don’t try to hide problems
The home inspector is going to find everything. Period. So if you know you have an issue already, feel free to leave a note that says you’re aware of the problem and planning on fixing it, but never try to hide the defect. A buyer who feels like you’re hiding things isn’t going to be confident about purchasing your home.
5. Leave keys behind
Be sure to leave the remote controls for your garage door opener or a key if it is a detached garage. Also don’t forget to unlock the covers for your sprinkler system and electrical box.
6. Provide repair documents
If you’ve done an addition on the home or a repair, make those documents available to the home inspector and buyer. This will give them peace of mind that items have been taken care of by someone reputable.
7. Replace bulbs
Don’t make the home inspector waste time determining if your light fixture is broken or if the bulb is just burnt out. Examine all light fixtures and replace any burnt out or broken bulbs in advance of the inspection.
8. Plan to leave an hour early—and stay out!
This is our final piece of advice, and it’s important! When the inspector gets to your home, it should look like it did before you moved in. Aka empty of yours and your pet’s presence. Leave at least an hour early and expect to be gone for three hours or more. Sometimes an inspector will even be early to start on the outside of the home, and you wouldn’t want to walk by your windows in a towel because you didn’t leave when you should have.
