Preparing Your House For The Inspection

Home inspections can be a major source of stress for people selling their homes.  If you’re selling your home and want to make your inspection go better, the easiest and most obvious thing to do would be to hire your own private inspector to go through your house before the buyers have it inspected.  This is a seller’s inspection.  If you don’t want to have this done, there are still a few simple things you can do to make the buyer’s inspection go better.

Change your furnace filter.  This is the simplest no-brainer.  When I inspect a house and find a nasty furnace filter, I’ll often recommend having the furnace and ductwork cleaned.  A dirty filter also shows a lack of maintenance and care for your home, and can make first-time home buyers nervous.

Fix electrical hazards.  This seems like an easy one, but it’s a very common problem that sometimes has easy fixes. Any extension cords that are being used in lieu of permanent wiring should be removed, and outlets installed if necessary.  The two most common places are for garage door openers and water softeners.  Also, go through your home and look for missing cover plates – look at outlets, light switches, and junction boxes.  Here are the most common places to find missing cover plates:

• The garage, especially at the outlet for the opener
• The kitchen – behind the fridge, behind the stove, above the microwave, and under the kitchen sink.
• In the laundry room
• Unfinished basement areas

Fix plumbing leaks.  This should be another no-brainer, but to be sure, go through your home and test all of your plumbing fixtures for leaks.  Repair or replace your laundry sink faucet if it leaks around the stem or the handles.  Fill up every sink with four inches of water, let it drain, and carefully examine the drain lines for any leaks. 

Test your garage door opener.  Place a 2x4 flat on ground and let the overhead door close on it.  If the door goes back up, it’s working the way it should.  If it doesn’t, adjust the sensitivity settings on your opener so it auto-reverses when it hits the 2x4.  If you can’t get this happen, replace the opener.  Warning: this test could cause damage to your opener, and some home inspectors won’t do this test.

Check your gutters and downspouts.  Clean your gutters, and repair any leaking joints.  Make sure all of your downspout extensions are properly connected, and make sure they drain well away from the house – six to ten feet is ideal.

Make everything accessible. If your attic access is in a closet, move whatever personal belongings you have that would prevent access to the attic.  If you have a crawl space, make sure that area is accessible as well.  If it looks like items have been stored to intentionally block access to an area, it raises red flags.

Comments

[Blocked drain]

Its very new to me.But very interesting.Thanks!

[David hogard]

Most inspectors will look inside furnaces and other heating devices if the panels come off easily. Others will use tools to remove panels, but many will draw the line there. Many inspectors will walk on the roof when conditions permit to inspect the roof, the materials and workmanship, and things such as vents, chimney(s), and gutters. Some roofs are very steep, in bad shape, or are constructed with fragile tiles. Most inspectors will not walk on the roof in these situations, but will either look from the edge via a ladder, look from an adjacent structure, or use binoculars while on the ground.

http://betterblog.ning.com/profiles/blogs/basic-of-home-inspection

[Plumber San Jose]

Just a small tip. Don't be there. If you aeren't worried about theft than don't be with the inspector. If you meet him there then just excuse yourself for an urgent errand. My experience is that they don't pick out as many issues if your not looking over their should. They tend to do a quicker job. I even make the temperature as uncomfortable as possible to get them omn their merry way. But I'm in San Jose, plenty of inspectors are different.