Top 5 things you can do to prepare your home for a pre-purchase Home Inspection

Are you selling your home?

Here are a few things you can do leading up to that all important inspection, to help make the transaction go as smoothly as possible.

Most homes sales these days are contingent on a satisfactory home inspection. The buyers are likely going to want to hire a home inspector to provide them with an opinion on the overall condition of the home and property, before committing to a deal.

1. Be sure to provide access to any areas that the inspector will likely want to

inspect, such as the garage or attic and roof spaces. Move boxes and storage away from the walls and off of floors If possible and provide working space around furnaces and electrical panels.

No one wants to delay a closing in order for the home inspector to return once the attic is accessible to complete the inspection.

2. Ensure the utilities are on during the inspection.

Home inspectors will be testing plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, switches and appliances in some cases. If the utilities are off in certain areas, the inspector won’t be able to test the necessary systems and this could cause further delays to the inspection process.

3. Replace burnt out bulbs, ensure carbon monoxide and smoke detectors aren’t expired and change your furnace filters.

Most home inspectors will change a dirty furnace filter for you if you have a new one laying around anyway, but may comment on deferred maintenance, and will likely mention light fixtures that aren’t functioning and fire safety devices that are out of date.

4. If you’re aware of any possible environmental hazards, such as asbestos, lead, or other hazards in your home, it's always best to disclose this information to the potential buyer before the inspection.

Vermiculite insulation

Even better, if you can resolve the issues and provide adequate documentation to prove it, you might avoid a negative impression from the buyers when these items show up in the inspection report.

5. Gather up repair bills or documentation records of any home repairs or improvements you’ve undertaken while living in the home.

The inspector might just have a question about those and providing the proof might turn a perceived negative in to a positive.

Bonus tip:

While you’re preparing for your buyers home inspection, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the overall process of a standard home inspection. Although not all home inspectors follow the exact same standards of practice, most Home Inspectors belong to professional associations that publish their standards of practice. These standards will give you some insight into what is and what isn’t covered in as part of a standard home inspection.

Hiring a professional Home inspector to perform a pre-listing or sellers inspection can be an excellent way to learn as much as possible about the home you’re listing before it goes on the market, and provide a checklist of priority items to prepare you for what might show up on an inspectors report. This can ultimately allow you to be ahead of the game and make and necessary repairs beforehand.

If you have any questions about home inspections in general or would like more information on pre-listing inspections, please give me a call.

-Phil

#PrepurchaseHomeInspectionOttawa #PrelistinghomeInspection #OttawaHomeInspections #PrepurchaseInspections