So, you’ve decided to sell your house? You have a great realtor, an offer has been put on your home, and you want to make sure that the final home inspection goes smoothly.

Not to worry! You can do these 8 easy things to make sure that your inspection will go smoothly.

Before you learn about what you can do to make your home inspection go smoothly, let’s talk about what a home inspection is and what it is not.

What is a home inspection?

This is the final walk through after an offer has been put on your home. It will include many details about the structure and function of the home. Older homes tend to have more unique features to be checked out and take longer to inspect than newer homes do.

Usually a home inspector will check the foundation, roof, HVAC, electrical outlets, fireplace, and the attic to name a few.

There are a couple of ways that a home inspection can be done.

Pre-listing Home Inspection

This is where you as the seller will pay the inspector to come and check out your home to see what types of things may need to be repaired or evaluated before the house is placed on the market. The inspector will then write out a report of his or her findings and give you ideas as to what needs the most attention.  This may help eliminate the negotiation process with the potential buyer.

Buyer’s Home Inspection

This is typically where a buyer will pay an inspector to check out the home. As with the above inspection, the inspector will write out a report of his or her findings and give ideas as to what needs the most attention. Depending on the information presented in the report, the buyer can then make an informed decision about moving forward with the purchase of the home.

What a home inspection is not?

This is not where you will get a list of all the things wrong with the house and the inspector will say it does not pass. It is not a pass or fail home inspection.

The inspector will not tell you if you should or shouldn’t buy the house.

This is not a list of all the things that the seller should fix before you buy the house.

A home inspection will not give you the appraised value of the home.

If you’re the seller, there are many challenges to keeping your home in tip-top shape, while you still live in it. But, by doing these eight things, you can save yourself a lot of time and headaches as you go through the home inspection process.

Access to the Roof & Attic

The roof is an expensive and important part of your home. Make sure that your inspector can easily access the roof. Most inspectors will get on the roof to check for soft spots. If this can’t be done, you may not be getting the most thorough picture of the home.

If the attic is not accessible, then the inspector will not be able to check the attic for moisture or other things that may be hiding up in the attic. It’s a good idea to make sure that access to the attic is clear of any personal items. Inspectors will not move these due to liability factors.

HVAC Unit is Clear of Any Personal Belongings

The furnace and AC unit usually are in areas that are not in plain sight. These tend to have personal items or other things placed in front of them. Keeping items clear of these areas will help the inspector get a detailed picture of how the unit is working.

Keep Home Clean and Tidy

This may seem like an easy fix. But it is a huge help for home inspectors. If there are lots of boxes, papers, shoes, or other things lying around, an inspector will not be able to properly see all details of the home. Something may be missed due to clutter.

Keep Pets in a Secure Area

This is huge! If there is any chance that the inspector may be in an unsafe environment, he or she will not inspect that part of the home. If you have pets, make sure that they are secured, or better yet not at home.

This is a challenge I know. This is a great time to call on family and friends to help out by watching your pets for the few hours it takes for the inspection to be completed.

If you’re able, take your pets for a walk or to a park. For most of us who work, it might be worth the extra money to hire a pet sitter. There are many teenagers looking to earn a little extra cash.

Replace Broken Bulbs

As easy as this is, this can be one of those things that gets forgotten. A broken lightbulb will show up on the inspection report and will eventually need to be replaced anyways. Why not take care of it beforehand and save yourself the piece of mind?

Make Sure Exterior Perimeter is Clear

Your inspector will do a walk through the yard and perimeter of the home. Debris such as: bushes, branches, bikes, leaves, or other things in the yard may prevent the inspector from seeing something important.

Check Toilets

Make sure that the toilets are in proper working order. That is, make sure that you have flushed them a few times and they are working normally before the inspector comes.

Have Paperwork of Recent Repairs

If there is repair work that you’ve done recently to prepare for the inspection, make sure that you have that paperwork. This is a great asset for you. If the inspector sees that work has been done, yet there is still a problem, it will be easy to find where the work was done and have another check and the component may still be under warranty.

Well, there you have it. Now that you know what the inspector needs, you will be ready for that inspection in no time.

A little advanced preparation can go a long way to making the home inspection and selling process go smoothly.

Do you have questions about the home inspections process? We are a phone call away! Let us know how we can make this process easier for you.