Advice for Sellers

Tips to make your Home Inspection go more smoothly and faster…

In a competitive market, you can not only speed up your home inspection but close your home sale faster if you follow these simple suggestions on or before the day of your inspection.

1. Confirm that water, electric and gas service are on, with gas pilot lights burning.
2. If you have pets in your home, ensure they won’t hinder the inspection by either removing them from the premises on the day of the inspection or at least securing them outside. Be sure to tell your agent or your inspector about any pets at home.
3. Before the inspection, replace any burned-out light bulbs. This simple trick will help you to avoid any "light is inoperable" comments on your report that may suggest an electrical problem.
4. Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace dead batteries.
5. Clean or replace dirty HVAC air filters before your inspection. Also, check to ensure that these filters fit securely.
6. Remove stored items, debris and wood from foundation, as these may be cited as "conducive conditions" for termites.
7. Before your inspection, be sure to rRemove items blocking access to HVAC equipment, electric service panels, water heaters, attics and crawl spaces.
8. Unlock areas the inspector must access – attic doors or hatches, electric service panels, closets, fence gates and crawl spaces.
9. Trim tree limbs to 10′ from the roof and shrubs from the house to allow access.
10. Attend to broken or missing items like doorknobs, locks and latches; sticky windows, windowpanes, screens and locks; gutters, downspouts and chimney caps.  This last suggestion may have already been done proactively when you first put your home up for sale, but be sure to circle back and check things over to make sure you didn’t miss any of these items before your inspection.

Checking these areas before your home inspection will make your report better and ultimately is an investment in selling your property. Your real estate agent, and your pocketbook, will thank you!