The Importance of Preparing for the Buyer’s Inspection
When you’re trying to sell a home, it’s important to be prepared for all the obstacles that could come your way during the selling process. One of the most important parts of the home selling process to be prepared for is the inspection. Being unprepared for this step could leave you with a potential sale that falls through, or potential large expenses.
What Home Inspectors Check During Due Diligence
Once you’ve agreed to a price on the sale of your home, the prospective buyer has a due diligence period, usually of 10-14 days. During this period the buyer has the right to have the home inspected by an inspector of their choosing. This inspector is paid by the buyer to locate any problems or potential problems with the home’s main systems. During your buyer’s inspection, you can expect their inspector to look at:
- Heating and air conditioning systems
- Roof condition
- Electrical Condition
- Structural condition
- Proper sealing of the home from pests and moisture
- Mold potential
- Operation of major appliances
In other words, you should expect your buyers to be looking for any problem imaginable with your home. Their inspector will prepare a report for them with a list of concerns. The buyers will bring the inspector’s concerns to you and expect you to fix the problems. Or, the buyer may simply get scared and run away from the sale entirely, if they think the house has too many problems. The best way to avoid an inspection crisis is to prepare your home before the inspector arrives. Below is our room-by-room guide to what the inspector will look for, and how you can prepare your house to pass with flying colors.
The Kitchen
The two major categories of inspection in your kitchen are plumbing and appliances. Because kitchens are heavily used, they are a frequent source of inspection findings.
-
Plumbing & Under-Sink: The inspector will check for active leaks, ensure the faucet and spray wand work properly, and verify that the P-trap and drain run free and downhill.
-
How to prepare: Clear out the clutter under the kitchen sink to ensure easy access.
-
-
Major Appliances: The inspector will run the dishwasher to check for leaks and ensure it is secured to the cabinetry. They will test the stovetop, oven, and microwave. If you have a freestanding stove, they will check for an essential safety feature: the anti-tip bracket.
-
How to prepare: Make sure the oven is empty (don’t use it for storage) and clear flammable materials away from the stovetop. Ensure the garbage disposal is empty and operational.
-
-
Electrical: Kitchen outlets will be tested, specifically ensuring that all countertop receptacles are properly GFCI protected.
The Bathrooms
When it comes to inspecting your bathrooms, the primary focus is plumbing integrity and water damage prevention.
-
Water Pressure & Leaks: The inspector will likely flush the toilet while the shower and sink faucet are running to ensure water pressure remains consistent. They will look closely for active leaks around faucets, showerheads, and under the sinks, as well as past water damage to the cabinetry or subfloor.
-
How to prepare: Clear out the vanity cabinets so the plumbing is visible.
-
-
Seals & Caulking: The inspector checks the grout and caulking around your sinks, shower, and tub, as well as the wax ring that secures your toilet to the floor.
-
Safety Features: Bathrooms require properly working GFCI outlets, tempered safety glass in shower doors, and exhaust fans that vent all the way to the outside (not just into the attic).
The Laundry Room
You might not immediately think of the laundry room as a critical inspection zone, but the inspector will make an important stop here—especially if your washer and dryer are included in the sale.
-
Venting & Gas: The inspector will check the dryer vent to ensure it is clear of heavy lint buildup and vents properly to the outside. If you have a gas dryer, they will ensure there is a working shutoff valve (and that any unused gas lines are safely capped).
-
Plumbing: They will check the hot and cold water shutoff valves for leaks and ensure the laundry sink (if present) drains properly.
-
How to prepare: Ensure the laundry area is clutter-free so the inspector can easily get behind the washer and dryer to inspect the water hoses and dryer vent connections.
-
The Garage
Many sellers use their garage as a storage unit while packing to move, but you can definitely expect the home inspector to pay a visit here.
-
Garage Doors: The inspector will test the automatic door opener, the auto-reverse safety sensors, the cross-bracing, and the weather stripping.
-
Fire Safety: The door connecting the garage to the interior of your home is a critical fire barrier. The inspector will ensure it is a solid-core or fire-rated door, that it self-closes and latches properly, and that no doggie doors are installed (which are a severe carbon monoxide hazard).
-
Moisture & Structure: The inspector will check the garage for roof leaks, noting stains on the ceiling, large floor cracks, or rotting wood near the foundation.
-
How to prepare: The biggest impediment to a garage inspection is moving boxes. Clear a path so the inspector can reach the electrical panel, the water heater, and any attic access hatches located in the garage.
-
Be Proactive with a Pre-Listing Approach
The best way to avoid an inspection crisis is to take care of your home’s problems before you ever have an offer on the home. If necessary, hire an inspector yourself, so that you can anticipate problems that other home inspectors might find. This allows you to fix problems now that could cost you the sale later. In addition, you may be able to save some money by making some of the repairs yourself. If you wait until a buyer points out the problems, you may be too time constrained to fix everything yourself.
An inspection of your home needn’t be a scary proposition, as long as you know ahead of time exactly what an inspector is likely to find.
