Preparing For a Home Inspection
If you’re buying or selling your house, here are some ways to make your home inspection go smoother, with fewer concerns to delay closing:
- Make sure the inspector has access not only to the house, but also to the furnace, water heater, and air- conditioning units (especially those housed in a closet, the attic, and/or the crawlspace).
- Remove any items blocking access to HVAC equipment, the electrical service panel, the water heater, etc.
- Check to see that the garage door is open and that any water heater, utility panel, shutoff valves, and re- sets for ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) inside it are accessible.
- Unlock areas that the inspector must access, such as attic doors or hatches, the electrical service panel, closets, fence gates, and crawlspaces.
- Ensure that all utility services are on, with gas pilot lights burning.
- Be sure your pets won’t hinder the inspection. Ideally, they should be removed from the premises or secured outside. Tell your agent about any pets at home.
- Replace burned-out bulbs to avoid a “light did not operate” report that may suggest an electrical problem.
- Remove stored items, debris, and stacked wood from the foundation area. These may be cited as conditions conducive to wood-destroying insects.
- Trim tree limbs to 10 feet from the roof and trim shrubs to 1 foot from the house to prevent obstructions to service lines and other potential hazards.
- Attend to broken or missing items, such as doorknobs, locks and latches, windowpanes, screens, and gutters, downspouts and chimney caps.