Prepare for the inspection of your home

It’s Spring and that means it’s the beginning of real estate season. For many it’s time to move on, while at the same time it’s a fresh beginning for others. If you’re selling, be assured that today’s buyer wants to know everything about your home.

The vast majority of purchasers will hire a professional home inspector to investigate the condition of your home. Smart move. Buying a home is unlike most other purchases, it simply can’t be returned for a refund if the buyer doesn’t like it. How’s the roof? How old is the hot water tank? Is the furnace in good condition? These are some of the questions that the buyers looking at your home will seek professional help to answer.

Photo: Contributed - (Photo: Hugh Cairns)

Good preparation for a home inspection is beneficial to all parties involved. A prepared, accessible home presents fewer problems and quickly discharges associated contingency clauses.

On the seller's end, a home inspection is often a stressful event. An inspection is often viewed by the seller as a pass or fail grade by an inspector, but that’s not the purpose. The professional responsibility of the inspector is to report to their client about the condition of the home and not to judge it. Good home inspectors see the house mechanically and are bound not to offer advice on the transaction, they should report on the condition of the home only and leave the negotiations to the real estate professionals.

In my books there are two types of inspections, and they are both categorized as good. There are the ones where unknown deficiencies are reported on that may require further investigation prior to sale, and the ones where things check out well and the home has been constructed well.

Many of the conditions described during a home inspection can almost always be fixed, it is far more desirable to foresee and remedy any concerns with a property prior to a home inspection. Ideally, any concerns should be dealt with prior to even listing a property on the market. The way I see it, it’s very important that a home is in the best possible condition from the beginning of the selling process, to make a good impression with prospective buyers and to avoid surprises during the inspection process.

Speaking about good impressions, it always impresses a home inspector when the home is readied for inspection. That means full access and good visibility. Good preparation for the home inspection is beneficial to all parties involved. A prepared, accessible home presents fewer problems and quickly discharges associated contingency clauses.

For more information on preparing for a home inspection click here.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.