How to Prepare for a Home Inspection

Are you planning to sell your house? You’re probably worried about the home inspection and what it might reveal. However, you can make the process a lot smoother if you prepare early on.  

Keep in mind that no house is perfect. You should know that potential buyers want notice of any major problems with your house that might end up costing them in the future. As much as possible, potential buyers want to purchase a house with little-to-no issues to give them peace of mind.  

Since a home inspection in Edmonton is necessary when selling your house, here are some tips to help you prepare for the process.   

Give Space to the Home Inspector 

Before the scheduled home inspection, the ideal thing you can do is leave. On almost every occasion, the potential buyer will want to be present during the process. If you’re with them, the buyer might feel uncomfortable asking questions to the inspector.  

Also, home inspections can take a couple of hours to finish. This depends on several factors. Bigger and older houses can add time to the inspection.  

During the inspection, the home inspector will also point out significant features, such as main water shutoff valves and electrical disconnects, to the potential buyer.  

Familiarize Yourself with Regular Items Found During a Home Inspection 

If you do this, you can prepare yourself for the process. Minor fixes can go a long way. This includes: 

  • Testing every window and door to guarantee they lock, close, and open easily. 
  • Replacing fixtures or lightbulbs that do not work well. 
  • Make sure gutters are clear and free of debris. 
  • Refreshing or replacing worn caulking around doors and windows or in the bathrooms and kitchens. 
  • Cutting back bushes, shrubs, and other plants that are close to the property.  

Schedule Cleaning or Repairs Before the Home Inspection 

Rather than hoping that the home inspector will miss any problems in your house, you should be proactive. It’s best to take care of the things that you already know about.  

For example, perhaps you’ve got a leaky faucet. Perhaps your carpet has several stains. Perhaps the walls in high-traffic areas have peeling paint and scuff marks.  

When a number of minor problems are obvious, potential buyers might often see this as a red flag. Because of this, they will wonder if there are other issues hidden in plain sight.  

Schedule a Pre-Inspection 

For those who don’t know, you can hire a professional to inspect your house before you list it on the market. This is known as pre-inspection.  

A pre-inspection will help you uncover major issues that can deter potential buyers. By doing a pre-inspection you can fix the problems in your house and increase its value before you list it on the market.  

If a potential buyer knows that you’ve done a pre-inspection of your home, it will help boost their confidence knowing that you’ve fixed some of the problems. This means that you can attract more potential buyers and thus increase the price of your home.