Congrats! Your home has sold. What comes next? Before you begin to pack up your things there are a few more hurdles to cross, one being the home inspection. It is the job of the home inspector to go through your home and analyze the current condition of it. I have never met home inspector that does not find several items that need to be addressed in a home. Even in a brand spankin' new one. That being said, you do not necessarily want to leave lots of items to be found. During the due diligence time frame, a buyer has the right to inspect any and everything about the home that they are getting ready to purchase. They also have the right to walk away from the transaction for any reason. Unexpected issues that pop up can make people nervous. Just as it's important to get your home ready to be marketed, it is just as important to prepare your home for the inspection. Here are some tips to get ready: 1. Change out any burnt out light bulbs. An inspector will note worst case scenario since he will not know if it is a burnt out light bulb or faulty wiring. 2. Make sure receptacles are all working. 3. Label any light switches that are hard to know what they control. 4. Change your air filters. Dirty air filters restrict air flow and may lead buyers to think that you have not taken care of the HVAC system. 5. Often when I stage a home I tell my sellers to put all the "extra" stuff in the garage or basement. Clear a path around the walls of both so that the termite inspector can look around. 6. Make sure that there is access to the furnace, a/c, water heater, and electrical panel. If something is blocked it will not be able to be inspected and that could lead to the buyers asking for you to have it inspected. 7. Leave out any records of service that you have had on your systems (i.e. HVAC) or for any recent repairs that you have had done. 8. If you know that something is in need of repair....have it repaired! Preferably, this would have already been done prior to the day that you put your home on the market, but just in case. If you have maintained your home while you have owned it there should not be too much to worry about. Eric Coates with Detailed Home Inspections is my favorite home inspector! Here is a list of the most typical problems he finds in homes during inspections. If you are just not sure how your home is going to fair, Eric can come out and pre-inspect before listing your home.
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