TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HOME INSPECTION
TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HOME INSPECTION
Let’s say you’re planning to sell your home or it’s already on the market. The house is prepped, cleaned, staged and you have an accepted offer. The time has come for the buyer to have the home inspected. So how to prepare for a home inspection? Answer: Carefully. Here is what I mean.
During the escrow or contract period between you, the seller, and the buyer, the buyer will usually have an inspection contingency. In other words, they will have a negotiated number of days to look into the home, find out everything they want or should find out about the home and neighborhood, schools, surroundings, etcetera. During this time they will have a professional home inspection.
The inspector will be looking at the home’s various systems, including interior and exterior components. ... The interior systems that the home inspector will check include electrical, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, insulation, flooring, ceiling and walls, windows and doors. Check out my brief video on inspections here:
If you are a seller, it’s best to do your own inspection first to make sure there are no lurking problems. We want to know about these things before the buyer’s inspector surprises you with his or her results. The inspector will provide you with a report within 1- 3 days of the inspection, depending on how busy they are. Remember you will need to provide this inspection to the buyer along with your disclosures (we do this in California).
Typically, the seller will have already submitted their disclosures (what they know about the property) to the buyer. But we are human and sometimes we forget something important about a home and its history so it’s a good idea to have an independent party inspect your home.
For example, imagine you’ve owned your home for 20 years. A lot happens over the course of two decades. Houses are remodeled, jobs change, children are born, grow up, graduate, move on and so on. What is done to the house is only a small part of our experiences in it, so the changes, repairs, and alterations may not be top of mind.
Of course it’s best to have a folder with records of what has been done to the home. For example, the roof was changed so warranty and historical records are great. Or perhaps the water heater was changed out. Is it still under warranty? Or maybe the kitchen cabinets were replaced. Perhaps the sewer was inspected, had roots intruding and they were removed. Was this an ongoing maintenance issue or did it stop if you had the tree whose roots were in the sewer removed? Perhaps there were plumbing issues?
In one case, the owner forgot about several leaks around the house. They were all repaired and there had been no leaks for many years. Even the roof had been replaced. But they forgot to include this in the disclosures and leak stains were in various places. The buyer’s inspector came and pointed out all the leak marks and assumed there were leaks. This, even though, his moisture detector (they carry those around) showed no signs of leaks. The buyer got scared and canceled the purchase. This put the seller in a bad spot since now, there was a report that sounded scary. It would have been best if the seller had first had his own inspection and been reminded of the past leaks.
As it turns out, the sellers then repaired and repainted the leak stains and the new disclosures now included the past leaks. The sellers now had an opportunity to explain what had happened in the past and what they did to remedy the problem. Disclose, disclose, disclose is very important.
The same is true of other items. In another case, the inspector found a leaky dishwasher. I was there and saw that what had to be done was just clean the air gap. Little pieces of food sometimes get stuck and the dishwasher becomes clogged. This takes just a couple of minutes. But if the inspector or buyer doesn’t know how to do this, they can assume that there is something wrong with either the dishwasher or the plumbing.
Let’s say as the seller you have decided to have an inspection done before the buyer has one done. Now you know what things can come up and you have time to get things fixed. The buyer thinks that when they make an offer and it is accepted, it is based on everything in the home working (unless of course they are buying a fixer upper).
You may or may not want to fix items but if they are small, it will save time down the line. Building codes change over time. Some things can be upgraded, but others probably not.
GFCIs were not common in homes built in the early 1950s or 1960s. They are now part of building codes and are there for safety. I was a Planning Commissioner in Rancho Palos Verdes and I got to see the behind the scenes of codes, how they got there and how they were applied to peoples’ homes. It was very interesting and I saw first hand how the codes are primarily there for the health and safety of the residents.
Back to the GFCIs. It’s a small task to change out the few outlets near the kitchen and bathroom sinks to make sure the GFCIs are there to protect the resident from shock and electrocuting themselves by mistake.
On the other hand, a stairwell with gaps that are too far apart may not be something you want to take on. Laws and codes sometimes change as a result of accidents. Under the old codes, a child’s head could get stuck in between a staircase banister. Now the codes require the stairway rails to be closer together. A buyer looking to purchase your home would need to do these upgrades on their own.
Likewise, windows on second or higher floors are now higher up on the wall than they were allowed to be. This again is for the purpose of protecting little tikes from falling out. These days, they sell window inserts to further protect people from accidentally falling out.
What are some other things you can do to prepare for a home inspection? How about the leaky faucet - it may just need a new gasket. If there are roots in the sewer, the plumber can take care of that.
Is there moisture in the walls? Does they smell musty? This can be from various things. I once had an inspector find mold on a closet door and he said it was “old lady mold”! I cringed as I was with my buyer client whose family member was older. As it turns out, the area just needed to be cleaned, disinfected and aired out. Plenty of air circulation is good.
Do the floors creak? In some cases, it can be as easy as adding talcum powder to keep them from rubbing against each other.
Is the electrical panel older and in need of an upgrade? That’s more of a larger change. The buyer may wish to remodel. If the electrical components are working, and not in danger of catching on fire, the seller may leave that for the buyer to take care of.
Are there any leaks in the roof? That may be something the seller may wish to correct if they know about it. In Southern California there isn’t a whole lot of rain and this may be difficult to determine unless water is poured on the roof. Tell tale signs are water stains and using the handy moisture meter. Will the buyer ask for a new roof? That’s up for negotiation. Sometimes one can tell the condition of the roof from looking at it from the exterior ground floor. Or perhaps the agent for the seller has already told the buyer or buyer agent about the roof. Unless it is actively leaking, the seller may not wish to provide such a large credit for a new roof.
Are windows leaking? They may just need some special sealer. Do the lights work? Check to make sure it’s not just a lightbulb.
Since the inspection report will be provided to the buyer (at least in California), it’s also a good idea to include a summary of the repairs made. This will assure the buyer that you have taken care of your home.
As you can see, an inspection ahead of time can reveal a number of pesky items. But if you want your escrow to go smoothly, and decrease the likelihood of negotiation after the home inspection, use these tips to prepare for your home inspection ahead of time. You’ll be glad you did.