Getting your house ready for a home inspection
Congratulations you’ve received an offer that you accepted and have your house under contract, however, it’s contingent on a home inspection and now you’re freaking out. as a homeowner, it’s not uncommon to feel anxious about having your home inspected. here are some tips to follow to make the process as smooth as possible.
Clean your house
This might seem simple and straightforward but you would be surprised how many people overlook this. the more you can declutter and make your home presentable the better effect it’s going to have on the inspector. inspectors don’t look for cosmetic defects however a clean home is only going to have a positive effect on him or her.
Make sure all utilities are and breakers are on
It is a good idea to always double-check that the utilities are turned on and there are no Breakers that have been trapped. An inspector will not turn back on a breaker if it has been tripped for safety reasons and we’ll just mark whatever the breaker is it connected to as failed. Also if a utility is turned off safe for example water obviously he will not be able to perform any inspections of that system and most likely you will have to pay for him to come back out again.
Ensure the fuse box is properly labeled
Make sure that there is plenty of space around electrical boxes and that the breakers are properly labeled. Not only is this required but it makes it much easier for the inspector to perform his duties. anything you can do to help out the inspector Will only reflect positively on your inspection.
Make sure to replace non-functioning light bulbs
An inspector has no way to determine if there is a bad Outlet or switch or if a light bulb just needs to be replaced. It is a simple matter to walk to your house and check all of your lights before the inspection and it will save you later on.
Make sure to provide access to the attic and garage
If you have a garage make sure to remove your cars and that nothing is blocking access to the attic if it is located in the garage. If attic access is located elsewhere make sure it is easily accessible. Once again if an inspector cannot access the area it will not get inspected and may have to come back for an additional fee.
Provide plenty of workspace around the water heater and furnace
You want to make sure that the inspector has easy access to these two utilities. If the inspector has to climb over and around a bunch of clutter, they may not be inspected properly and could just get failed.
Install a new air filter
Make sure that you have a fresh air filter installed in your HVAC system. inspectors always check these and if they’re old and dirty it will reflect poorly on the maintenance on the system.
Double-check pilot lights
Make sure that all of your pilot lights are lit as inspectors will not like them but we’ll just move on to the next system. This is why it is always a good practice to make sure that if you have any pilot lights on your stoves water heaters for heating systems to make sure that they are lit before the inspection begins.
Leave keys for any outbuildings or locked areas of your home
This is pretty self-explanatory. If the inspector can’t get access to it he is not going to inspect it. If this happens your buyer May request inspectors come back a second time to inspect these areas and it will be on you to make up any additional charges inspector will charge.
