How to Ace a Home Inspection
Home inspections hold a lot of weight in selling a home. In most real estate transactions, buyers will use home inspections as the deciding factor to move forward with their purchase. As a seller, your job is to take the steps needed to pass your home inspection with flying colors.
Working with the industry experts at Mark Spain Real Estate ensures that you, the seller, are completely prepared to ace your home inspection. With years of valuable experience, our team offers exclusive insight and guidance to help you make informed decisions throughout the closing process. Read below for our expert guide on how to ace a home inspection when selling a home.
How to Ace a Home Inspection
Talk to Your Real Estate Agent
After securing a serious offer and beginning the closing process, your first step should be to talk to your real estate agent about what is to come. With years of experience selling homes, a qualified real estate agent will help you prepare for your upcoming home inspection and share their expertise. In a nutshell, your real estate should help you:
- Offer guidance on preparing high-priority areas for the inspector’s visit, including HVAC systems and filters, plumbing and electrical systems, light fixtures, major appliances and utilities, smoke detectors, and more
- Understand common maintenance issues detected from past home inspections in your area such as water leaks, faulty electrical wiring, or pest issues
- Create a strategy for addressing repair requests from the buyer
- Analyze your local market to determine how much leverage you have as a seller
- Classify minor and major home inspection findings to determine which repairs are eligible for negotiations
Do a Run-Through of your Property
Once you have an idea of what your home inspector will be looking for, you should do a run-through of your entire property. Starting with the exterior, you’ll want to check your gutters, roof, trimming, and landscaping. If there is any damage, try to make repairs before the home inspection. And while you likely spruced up your curb appeal before listing your home, it doesn’t hurt to give your front yard a few touch-ups before the home inspection as well. 
Next, you’ll want to do a thorough walk-through of the inside of your home. Triple-check that everything is in order before the inspector’s visit. From changing your HVAC air filter and ensuring smoke detectors work to testing your light bulbs and door locks, you should cover as many bases as possible to avoid any unwanted surprises.
Declutter and Clean All Rooms
Just like you would for a home showing, decluttering and tidying up your home is important for home inspections. Not only will a clean house make your home inspector’s job easier, but it will also showcase that you’re a conscious, responsible homeowner. If your schedule permits, go room by room and remove any excess belongings that may be eyesores. Then, deep clean whatever areas you can, particularly those that the home inspector will heavily examine, like the kitchen and bathrooms.
Provide Important Documents
When your home inspector arrives, you’ll want to have all necessary paperwork ready to go, as scrambling to find documentation will only drag out the inspection even longer. To be as prepared and organized as possible, assemble your items before the inspection begins. This should include documentation of existing warranties and receipts for recent home repairs, renovations, and services like HVAC maintenance or pest control.
Be Courteous and On Time
Home inspectors have packed schedules and can’t afford to waste time. So, make sure to be prompt and present for your scheduled inspection. Once your inspector arrives, the courteous thing to do is to leave your home. Typically, a home inspector will not feel comfortable identifying potential defects in front of the homeowner. Not to mention, your buyer might also feel uneasy asking repair questions for the same reason.
Be prepared to leave your home for at least three hours for your inspection. If you have pets or small children, you should also make arrangements for them during the inspection. Once the review is complete, the inspector or buyer will give you the go-ahead to return.
Sell a Home with Mark Spain Real Estate
Are you in the home inspection stage of the closing process? The industry professionals at Mark Spain Real Estate are here to help you pass with flying colors. Delivering unparalleled customer satisfaction, our team of experienced listing consultants promises a seamless and stress-free closing experience! Check out our Guaranteed Offer Program for the potential to receive a competitive cash offer on your home in only 21 days. Contact our agents today!
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