No home is perfect, and an inspector is going to find something wrong in every home they walkthrough. When it is your home that is being inspected, even an almost perfect report can sting a bit to find out there is a minor issue. A home inspection is not a pass or fail test, though, it does open the door to negotiation or the buyer walking away if they are not satisfied with an issue.
Since these are pretty significant things, it is a good idea not to go into a home inspection blind, there are steps you can take as a seller to ready yourself for the inspection and minimize unwanted or huge surprises.
Here is what happens in a home inspection and how certain outcomes could affect the possible sale of a home.
What is a Home Inspection?
The first thing to know is what a home inspection is. When you receive an offer on your home, chances are the offer or purchase agreement paperwork is going to have an inspection contingency. This means that after you accept the terms of the offer the buyer is allowed to have a professional come and inspect the current condition of the home.
The inspector is certified by the state and is going to look for health, safety, and major mechanical issues as well as point out any other smaller fixes the buyer might want to be aware of.
When A Home inspection Takes Place
Most inspections are referring to a buyers’ inspection. These take place after the offer is made and agreed upon by both parties and signed. The inspection will take place before the closing date of the sale and after the buyer receives the inspection report they have the opportunity to renegotiate or request repairs due to issues or walk away from the sale.
There is another type of inspection, it is called a sellers’ inspection. These are not mandatory, but are a very good idea and take place when a seller hires an inspector before they list the home to tell them what issues are in the home. This can save a seller time in the selling process because they are more prepared and can choose to fix the issues before listing or disclose them in the listing of the home.
What Happens During an Inspection?
A standard home inspection takes a few hours for the average-sized single family home. They will walk through the exterior, climb on the roof, and go through every room inside the house taking more time in areas with critical systems like the bathroom, kitchen, and utility closet where the water heater and furnace are located. Once the inspector has walked through and inspected the entire home the written report can take about 3-4 days to complete.
Who Should Be at the Home Inspection?
Anyone can be present for the inspection, but it is customary for just the buyers, their real estate agent, and the inspector they hired to walk through the home during a buyer’s inspection.
Preparing for a Home Inspection
Inspectors go through specific and thorough checklists, there are some things you can do as the homeowner to help prevent negative impacts to the inspection process, these things include:
Keep Records Handy: any key maintenance that has been performed, it is good to have receipts or records of service ready to provide as proof. This can be furnace maintenance, chimney sweeps and inspection, appliance repair, etc.
Clear Out Clutter: make sure areas like the basement, attic, garage, shed, and crawl spaces are easy to navigate, not full of your belongings. If the inspector can’t access these areas they will mark it on the report and it will result in the area needing to be cleaned and inspected again.
Ensure easy access to the electrical panel, furnace, water heater, and main water shut off valve.
Do general small maintenance tasks: this can be things like trimming trees that are touching the house, unclogging sink drains, change filters, and vacuum out exhaust fans. Anything that will help to make the list of concerns smaller.
The more prepared you are for the home inspection the better. Even if you do decide to get a seller’s inspection be prepared for the buyers’ inspector to find different items in the home. Each inspector will find something different.
For buyer and seller home inspections in the Champaign area please contact us anytime.
To hire an inspector in Champaign to help locate water damage and other issues in homes for sale please contact us any time. If you are looking for a reputable home inspector in Champaign or surrounding areas? Do you need a reputable home inspector in Champaign? Please contact us anytime we are highly trained and knowledgeable and will give you the best insight into your potential home purchase.