Selling Your Home? How to Prepare For The Buyer's Home Inspection!

If you're planning to sell your home, chances are your buyer will want a home inspection. Home inspections can sometimes get a bad rap for derailing deals. While property values often rise, the physical condition of a home naturally deteriorates over time. And let’s be honest—when’s the last time you really checked out your attic or crawl space? If you’re like me, probably not very often!

If you haven’t had a pre-listing inspection, you might be wondering: How thorough will the buyer’s inspection be? Will they use it to back out of the deal or ask for repairs? These thoughts can definitely add to the stress of selling your home!

But don’t worry! When it’s time for the buyer’s inspection, a little preparation on your part can go a long way. Trust me, a few simple steps can make a BIG difference!

Step 1: Declutter and Clean!

Your home is already under contract, so do you really need to declutter for the inspection? Absolutely! If you didn’t get around to it before listing, now is the perfect time to tidy up. Cleaning and decluttering all rooms, closets, and storage areas is important because it allows the inspector full access to check everything they need to. If they can’t see or reach something, it could raise red flags for the buyer. Simple things like changing your furnace filter or cleaning the stove and oven also show that your home is well cared for, which goes a long way!

Step 2: Make Minor Repairs!

Now’s the time to tackle those little fixes you’ve been putting off. Loose door handles, leaky faucets, or chipped paint may seem minor, but addressing these details helps show that your home is in great shape. Go room by room and take note of anything that needs attention—burnt-out light bulbs, recaulking sinks and tubs, replacing cracked tiles, fixing water damage, unclogging drains, or even clearing debris around the exterior. The inspector will check all these areas, so getting ahead of repairs will make the inspection process smoother and less stressful!

Step 3: Don't Try To Conceal Known Issues! 

Although Virginia is a buyer beware state and the seller is not legally obligated to disclose defects in the house, it is always better to deal with any known issues before they are uncovered by the buyer's inspector.  Routine maintenance on a home before it goes on the market is one of the best ways to prevent issues in the home inspection!

Step 4: Access For Inspectors!

When it comes to the inspection, make sure all areas of your home are easily accessible.  This includes the attic, basement, crawl space, electric panel boxes, closets, utility rooms, under the sink as well as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors!  If the inspector can't reach the area, they can't inspect it - and that could result in a blank field on their report and a potential red flag for the buyers!  In addition to making sure the inspector has access to rooms in the house, make a quick check of the perimeter of the exterior of your home to ensure that there is at least 6" of space, which may mean cutting back any overgrown shrubbery!

Step 5: Test The Things The Inspector Will Check!

A home inspection is a very thorough review of your home's condition.  To make sure that the report they prepare does not scare off the buyers, make sure the things a home inspector will look at are functioning properly.  These include:

• Locks & seals around doors & windows are working properly
• Faucets & toilets
• Ceiling and bath fans properly work
• Light switches work
• Garage doors open & close manually and with the remote, & that the revers safety setting works
• Weather stripping on doors is intact and functioning properly
• Downspouts divert water away from the house
• HVAC ducts are connected in the crawl space
• Fan vents are venting out of the attic
• Gutters are clear
• Clean off any roof debris & make sure that there are no missing or damaged shingles (DIY patch jobs may end up as a defect on the report so hire a professional here)
• Replace light bulbs and batteries to show that the lighting & wiring are properly working - remember, no dark light bulbs
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working
• HVAC filter has been changed
• No leaks under the sinks
• Label the electric panel box

Step 6: Ramp Up The Curb Appeal!

Although the home inspector is not the home buyer, first impressions of your home are influential even to the home inspector!  So make sure your yard is well manicured by mowing the grass, clipping trees and shrubs (especially if the tree limbs are close to the house or overhanging the roof), plant a few flowers and cut the vegetation away from the house!

Make sure all the gates and doors work properly, and test the locks and deadbolts to be sure they are functioning easily and correctly!

Touch up paint spots and remove any exposed nails!

Sweep of the porches and decks, and make sure there is no ice to slip on if it is winter!

Remember, if the home inspector notices a well maintained house when they first pull up, it may create an impression in their mind that the home is well maintained!

Step 7:  Provide Any Important Documents!

If you have recently done work to your home, or you have had recent repairs completed, or you have upgraded and renovated your home, leaving documents out for the inspector to view is great!  Do you have a bi-annual service done to your HVAC system?  Leaving out the information for the inspector shows that the system is in good working order and who has been maintaining it.  Replaced the roof lately?  Leaving information out for the inspector lets them know how old the roof is so they don't have come up with an educated guesstimate!  Have recent renovations done?  Leaving a list of the renovations done, who did the work and any permits that were signed off on by the county/city shows that the work was properly done!  And it is a bonus for the buyer, because they will know that the house has been well maintained and improved!

Step 8:  Make A Quick Walk Through Before Leaving!

Before leaving the house, you should do a quick run through to make sure it is ready for the inspector and the buyers!

• Are all access points accessible?
• Take dishes out of the dishwasher
• Take laundry out of the dryer
• Make sure all utilities are on
• Unlock any gates, doors, and panel boxes you usually keep locked
• Leave out remotes for ceiling fans, garage doors and appliances
• Leave out information for the inspector on repairs, renovations and maintenance
• Leave all lights on
• Open all closet doors
• Open the electric panel boxes

Step 9:  Leave The House For The Inspection!

Inspectors tend to be one time, and many arrive even earlier!  And if you have pets, make sure you take them with you, or at least have them securely crated in a secure area of the house.  An inspector may not feel comfortable pointing out potential defects or concerns if you are there, for fear of upsetting you, and the buyer will likely not want to ask as many questions for the same reason!  Inspections generally run about 3 hours, so make sure you are able to stay away for at least that long!

Preparing for a home inspection may seem a little overwhelming, but with a bit of effort and planning, you can make the process much smoother. Taking the time to declutter, clean, and make those small repairs not only helps the inspection go more smoothly but also shows the buyer that your home has been well taken care of. Remember, a little preparation goes a long way in leaving a positive impression and keeping the sale on track. So take a deep breath, check off your to-do list, and feel confident that you’re putting your best foot forward!