Passing Your Home Inspection

Your home was on the market and now you accepted an offer, congratulations! Before you start celebrating, your home will have to pass the home inspection. The results of your home inspection are essential during the negotiating process so understanding the procedure and preparing your home can save you time an money. 

Learn about our tips to pass your home inspection below or by watching a quick recorded webinar here:

Tips to Pass Your Home Inspection - Webinar

Common Problem Areas

#1 – Plumbing Problems and Water Damage

During the inspection, the inspector will check water pressure, the dishwasher, and septic systems. Make sure to fix any leaks and take care of any unusual noises or malfunctions. If there are leaks, you will want to check for water damage as well. Water damage can cause mold and mildew that can wear away at the structure of your home. 

#2 - Inadequate Electrical Systems

With your electrical system, you will want to make sure your panel and circuit breaker are adequate for your home. These systems routinely change and older homes may have electrical problems that are not up to code. The inspector will also test the ground fault circuit interrupters in bathrooms and kitchens to make sure they are wired correctly. If there are any obvious malfunctions such as switches not working, you will want to have these fixed as well.

 #3 - Roof and Foundation Issues

Both of these can be major budget killers when it comes time to preparing your home to sell. So before the inspection, check your roof and foundation! If you have any doubt about whether something is wrong, you should hire a contractor to come take a closer look. They will be able to tell you if it’s a big issue or if everything is in good working condition.   

#4 – Inefficient HVAC Systems

During the inspection, your home inspector will take a look at your furnace, boiler, heat pump and air conditioner. They will check for efficiency including whether or not the air is reaching its intended location and not exiting the home.

A good judgment call is your utility bill. If your utility bill is about average for your neighborhood, that is a sign your HVAC is working well.

#5 General Tip – Keep Your Receipts!

If you are doing all of this work to prepare your home to sell, make sure to keep records of all repairs. That way even if the home inspector does find something wrong with a particular area of your home, you will be able to go back to the contractor and negotiate for a reasonable solution.

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The Williamson Group has a great track record of helping clients buy and sell real estate and we would love the opportunity to work together. Send us an email at Schuyler@wgrouprealestate.com or give us a call at 512-437-1059 anytime.