It's important to complete your homework before listing your Dothan-area house for sale. While focusing on making your home more visually appealing to potential buyers, you need also think about how to best get your property ready for an inspection and pass with flying colours. How to effectively ready yourself for an inspection is covered in this piece.
I advise my clients to hire their home inspector before marketing their house, even if the buyer and lender insist on one. By scheduling a pre-inspection, you may address any issues in advance, making it less likely that you will lose a sale because of them.
If you're wondering, "what should I do to be ready for my home inspection?" these are the top ten tips I give to ensure everything goes smoothly. Our home inspection checklist might assist you in understanding what our inspectors will look for.
Purge in depth
A thorough cleaning is necessary if you're planning on selling your house. This will also make my job as a home inspector easier. I will be exploring areas of your home you haven't seen since moving in; therefore, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't leave a tonne of dust or discarded boxes for me to go through.
Decluttering is one of the best things you can do to prepare for an inspection. Get two big boxes and mark one as "keep" and the other as "give away." Donate it if you haven't touched it in over a year or if it doesn't make you happy. If not, put it in the box to keep and store it somewhere out of the way while showing your property to potential buyers.
Clean off your counters, pack up your trinkets, and move any obstructions. Create ample space in your house by thinking like a minimalist. It's also important to keep things looking presentable. When thinking about how to best prepare for a home inspection, even the most diligent housekeepers can be undone by the accumulation of dust and dirt in hard-to-reach places (under appliances, behind furniture, within cabinets, etc.).
A Secluded and Lofty Abode
Likely, your attic, basement, garage, and other storage places in your home don't get much attention, but I guarantee that they will be included in my home inspection checklist, so clean and prepare them just as thoroughly as the rest of your home.
When thinking about how to get the best ready for an inspection, you should also consider removing objects from these areas and placing them in temporary storage. A potential buyer in Southeast Alabama will be turned off by cluttered closets full of boxes, clothes, sports equipment, and more.
A/C and water heater
Please make it as easy as possible for me to inspect your water heater, heating, and air conditioning system during my visit. It's also a good time to clean up the house, toss out old paint cans, discard broken furniture, and empty any dustbins. Keeping these spaces uncluttered is also the safest option for you and your loved ones.
Tree and bush trimming The home's exterior is a part of my examination process. Spend a couple of hours clearing away dead vegetation, trimming trees, and otherwise making the outside of your property look as neat as the inside.
Keys to any required electricity boxes or sheds should also be made available. All utilities must be turned on.
Utility Utilities should be on if you're still living there, but if you've already moved out before advertising your property for sale, it's preferable to pay to keep them on. It may take longer than expected to finish the examination if the plumbing, gas, and electricity are not in working order.
Away from the light, please.
Check your home's lights, appliances, and plumbing to ensure they are all functioning properly before an inspection. Take a few minutes out of your day to change burned-out lightbulbs and replace worn-out faucet washers. These are two low-cost measures you can take to keep minor issues from piling up on a home inspection report.
Checking and replacing batteries in safety devices like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is another important part of getting ready for an inspection. It's also a good idea to double-check the labels on your breaker switches and replace any unclear or inaccurate ones.
Fire extinguishers should also have their expiration dates checked. If they have passed their expiration date, you should get new ones. Like I adore my human children, I have an insatiable passion for animal companions. Although you may not be eager to confine Fido or Fluffy while I conduct my examination, I advise you to do so because they are a potential nuisance who should be kept from escaping or raising a commotion.
