Top 6 things to expect during an inspection (as sellers)

Home inspections have bad reputations for being “deal killers”. According to data from the National Association of Realtors, about 1 out of every 3 deals fall apart before closing due to issues arising from inspections.

As homes deteriorate over time, their physical condition requires lots of upkeep. Even as a homeowner, you may or may not be on top of your yearly home maintenance (I’m guilty). So despite meticulous maintenance, inspectors will always find issues – both visible and non-visible to the naked eye since much of the home’s inner workings are beyond just the walls.

Here are 7 home inspection tips to get sellers through the “deal killer” phase of every sale:

Tip #1: Give the home inspector plenty of time to do the home inspection.

Don’t rush the buyer’s inspection. From experience, a good and thorough inspector will take approximately 3 hours on a ~2000 square foot home and for condos, expect about 1.5-2 hours. Allow them to get into every nook and cranny of the home. It is best to leave the home when it is being inspected as the buyer and the buyer’s agent will be there. It may make for some awkward conversation and also a very uncomfortable buyer if you stay home. Of the 50+ inspections I’ve been to, I can only recall one instance where both the seller and buyer were present.

Tip #2: Take all pets out of the home.

Dogs and cats both need to out of the home during an inspection. Even though they’re probably sweet as pie, pets just get in the way of the inspector. Don’t think putting them in a kennel is enough, just take them out!

Tip #3: Declutter your home to give the inspector access to the entire home.

Inspectors should not be moving furniture and moving boxes to get to the electrical panel. Declutter your home to give the inspector access to every nook and cranny of the home. Nothing is worse than if an inspector can’t inspect a critical part of the home due to some impeding object. Don’t leave any doubts for the buyer to get hung up on.

Tip #4: Leave the house fully operational (all utilities, appliances, fireplaces, etc).

One of the most common issues I’ve encountered in inspections are gas fireplaces not functioning correctly. Leave or turn on the gas autopilot if you are able to. Inspectors will test every appliance so make sure they are in good working order. And finally, a few sellers I’ve encountered, will turn off the water to the home when listing their homes due to the paranoia of water lines bursting when the home is vacant. Don’t do it! When inspectors aren’t able to test any of the utilities, it will cause undue headaches as a second inspection will need to be scheduled.

Tip #5: Weigh pros and cons of a pre-inspection.

A pre-inspection is a home inspection done prior to listing the home for sale and used to fix up any issues that could come up during a buyer’s inspection of the home, giving you a position of strength during negotiations. If you can solve a lot of the problems beforehand, it will prevent potential headaches later.

Pre-inspections can also be made available for potential buyers to review as well. It will save buyers time and money and provide an easy barrier of entry to submit an offer on your home with confidence they aren’t walking into a money pit. In a competitive market, your pre-inspection can also help some buyers waive their inspection contingency.

A drawback of doing a pre-inspection could be opening a pandora’s box to a plethora of issues. Once you have information about any issues on your home, you will need to decide if you want to spend the money to fix it. Keep in mind, once you are aware of the findings from the pre-inspection, you are legally required to disclose these to the buyer’s agent.

The cost of a pre-inspection is covered by the seller. Usually they range between $350-$500 depending on the size of the home or condo.

Tip# 6: Don’t try to conceal known issues.

Seller resistance can be an issue when it comes to finding or fixing potential issues prior to a home inspection. Just like how some parents think their child are the perfect angels, some sellers think their homes are the perfect, most well-maintained home.

Instead, it’s better to face these issues head on, especially in a buyers or balanced market. Providing a home with proper maintenance can reduce the snags that is common in the inspection phase of selling your home.

Even though a home does not have a “check engine” light, it is beneficial to have good and consistent maintenance.