The last 12 months have been a pretty rough time to be selling a home. Your home may have even been on the market for a period of time longer than you ever thought possible. But now you’ve gotten a good offer that you have accepted. This is a key time in any home sale. You must now get your home to pass the home inspection. I want to give you a list of 10 simple repairs you can do to prepare your home as well as a few things to do on the day of the inspection.
10 simple repairs to do before the home inspection:
1. Prune vegetation away from the house.
2. Clean the gutters.
3. Replace or clean any dirty furnace filters.
4. Install missing covers on electrical switches, outlets, and junction boxes.
5. Replace all smoke alarms installed before January 1, 2002 to comply with current standards.
6. Replace burned out light bulbs.
7. Pull soil 6″ away from the siding, basement windows, foundation vents, and decks.
8. Install 6mil. black, plastic vapor barrier in the crawlspace over exposed soil.
9. Install earthquake straps on the water heater.
10. Repair leaking faucets.
On the day of the inspection:
1. Remove any belongings that block access to the furnace, water heater, electrical panel, attic and crawl spaces so the inspector may get to these areas.
2. Verify the gas, water, and electricity are on, even in vacant homes.
3. Make sure all gas pilot lights are lit.
4. Make sure that all appliances normally operated by you can be tested as needed.
It is normal to feel a bit stressed when your home is inspected, but you can greatly increase a positive outcome on the inspection if you do a little prior planning. And a good home inspection directly affects your ability to maximize the proceeds that you will receive from the sale of your home. It is worth the time, effort, and a few dollars that it takes to get your home ready.