One of my most frequently asked questions lately has led me to create a seller’s home inspection preparation guide. After you have accepted an offer on your home, one of the first things a buyer will want and need to do is inspect your home.
In most cases a buyer will hire a general inspector to go over your home. From top to bottom they’ll be looking for any form of “trouble” within the home, hopefully to no avail. This will generally take about 2-3 hours. The inspector will pay very close attention to the roof, the electrical system, plumbing, the HVAC system and the structural integrity of your home. All doors and windows will be opened and closed, testing their condition as well as all appliances that will stay within the home. When the inspector sits down with the buyer he will point out everything he found, no matter how minute.
Let’s be honest, nothing is ever perfect, so simply prepare yourself for a list of “fix-its” before all is said and done from the buyer, courtesy of our friend The Inspector. When this time comes we’ll need to decide which items you will or will not address. Don’t panic. I have plenty of helpful resources to help us through this period.
By way of that, it’s not a terrible idea to go through your home with your trusty tools, or your handyman (I just so happen to know some top notch ones), to get ahead of the game and impress our Inspector friend with a lack of problem areas! The fewer items needing attention the inspector finds, the more positive the inspection experience will be for the buyer AND you.
To ensure no surprises and set-backs during the inspection process some seller’s even hire their own inspector ($150-350) to go through their home. If this isn’t the route for you and you’ve got the trained eye here are some guidelines to help with the seller’s home inspection preparation:
– Find receipts and warranties for recent repairs
– Have your roof inspected and make repairs
– Have HVAC system cleaned and serviced
– Make sure all windows and doors open, close, and lock if capable
– Re-install any screens missing from windows and doors
– Dust off water heater
– Check for any leaky sinks or faucets
– Ensure sinks and tubs drain quickly
– Caulk around tubs
– Roto-Rooter your sewer line
– Replace wax ring and bolt toilets down firmly if they wobble
– Have working bulbs in all light fixtures
– Clean out gutters
– Dust everything, no cobwebs in the basement
– Have carpets shampooed
Simply remember general cleanliness like these seller’s did for their home:
For a more in depth idea you can learn more with this Inspection Checklist. Though this is just partial I hope this is a helpful list for a seller’s home inspection preparation.
Summer Robertson of The Robertson Team
Team Properties Group, LLC
(307)250-4382
robertsonsummer@gmail.com