01/15/2022
10 Simple Things You Can Do To Prepare Your House for the Home Inspection.
If you are selling your house, you might be a little nervous when the time comes for a potential buyer to have a home inspection performed. If you are looking for ways to make the home inspection report cleaner, then here are 10 simple things you can do to remove the clutter in a home inspection report. These are things that EVERY home inspector will call out, and are simple for a homeowner to fix. So if you’re thinking “well, maybe it won’t be caught,” only really bad home inspectors will miss this stuff.
1. Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. There is nothing more annoying than the constant chirping of a smoke detector that is low on battery power. Although you may have blocked it out of your head, home inspectors will hear it loud and clear. So go ahead and change those smoke alarm batteries. You can read here for more information regarding smoke detectors.
2. Provide access to attic, crawlspace, etc. If there are areas of your house that are not accessible because they are blocked off it can be suspicious. A potential buyer may think that you are trying to hide something. Inaccessible areas are noted on an inspection report. Maybe its just that you forgot to move your vehicle out of the garage where the attic access hatch is. Either way, you should provide access to attics, crawlspaces, water heaters, and anything else that the inspector will want to look at.
3. Remove dishes from dishwasher and oven. If there are dishes in the dishwasher, the inspector will note it in the report. Normally dishwashers are tested for operation by operating them on a normal cycle. If there are dishes in the dishwasher, clear or dirty, the inspector will perform a visual inspection only. This includes brand new dishwashers that still have shipping materials inside. You should also remove dishes stored in the oven as well.
4. Change burned out light bulbs. If a light fixture is not functioning, the inspector will note that in the report. Most of the time, its due to a burned out light bulb. However, if the light is not working, there is no way for the inspector to know if the cause is a burned out light bulb, a problem with the fixture, or a more serious electrical problem. That’s why you should take a few minutes to change all non-functioning light bulbs before the inspection.
5. Change HVAC Filter. If your HVAC filter is dirty or missing, it will be called out on the report. In addition to reducing the number of called out deficiencies on the home inspection report, changing you HVAC filter regularly will also help your system run more efficiently and last longer. The filters are usually located at the return air vent or at the inside HVAC unit itself.
6. Adjust your garage door. If your house is equipped with an automatic garage door opener, today’s home inspection standards require that the door automatically reverse with reasonable resistance. This is a safety feature to help prevent personal items, or even worse, people, from being crushed by a closing door. Many people do not realize that the sensitivity of most garage door operators can be adjusted by a k**b on the operator itself. Your should adjust the opener until the garage door reverses with slight resistance. NOTE: This is a separate item from the motion sensor eyes at the bottom of the garage door.
7. Perform Caulking Upgrades. A little bit of caulk goes a long way. Before the inspection is scheduled, you should take a tube of caulk and a caulking gun and take a stroll around your house. If you see any areas of deteriorated caulking, or any areas where water might intrude and cause damage, fill them in. Common areas are around trim pieces, at fascia board and wall plank joints, and around window frames.
8. Add anti-siphon devices to spigots. By today’s home inspection standards, anti-siphon devices, or vacuum breakers should be installed at all exterior water spigots. This is one of the more common deficiencies that home inspectors put in their reports. These little devices attach to the threaded end of the spigot and are designed to prevent water in the water hose from being back-siphoned into the house’s water system, thereby contaminating the household water supply. They can be found at your local home improvement store for about $5.
9. Clean your gutters. If your house is equipped with gutters, it is good practice to clean the leaves and other debris from them as a regular home maintenance item. When a home inspector is up on your roof, one of the things that will be checked is if the gutters are clear of debris. Clean gutters help remove rainwater from your roof effectively and prevent standing water from building up, which could cause water damage or put excessive weight on your gutters causing them to sag or fail.
10. Make sure all the utilities are on. Put plain and simple, if the utilities are not on, there are a ton of things the home inspector cannot inspect. Water service is needed to check the fixtures, drains, water heater, dishwasher, etc. Gas service is sometimes needed to check the furnace, water heater, or fireplace. Electricity service, well, you know how important that is. So make sure that all utilities are on so that it doesn’t look like you are trying to hide something.
If you do these 10 things prior to having your home inspected, the inspection report will look a lot cleaner. Of course, there will still be deficiencies, because there is no such thing as a perfect house. Even brand new houses. Keep in mind that home inspections are not Pass/Fail, but rather an assessment of the condition of your house AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION.
