Preparing Your Home for an Inspection: 5 Things You Can Do

The prospect of an inspection can make even the most confident homeowner nervous, second-guessing everything inside their home. You don’t have to just cross your fingers and hope for the best, as there are some things you can do to better prepare your home for the inspector’s visit. United Property Inspectors, Inc. offers comprehensive home inspections as well as pre-listing inspections that will help both buyers and sellers to make informed financial decisions. Let’s take a look at five things you can do to better position your home for the dreaded inspection.

1. Clean and Service Your HVAC System

If your home is about to be inspected and you haven’t had your HVAC serviced in the last 12 months, now is the time to do it. Your contractor should check refrigerant levels, clean coils, change air filters, and change thermostat batteries. You don’t want to have any surprises with your heating and cooling system after the inspection that leave you scrambling. Make sure you have all of the paperwork available for the inspector.

2. Test All GFCI Outlets

Your home inspector will be checking your GFCI outlets, and this is something that inspectors often find no longer work properly. Over time, these can go bad and fail to trip the way they are supposed to. You can buy an inexpensive tester for these outlets at a hardware store to check them, ensuring they are tripping and then resetting the way they should be.

3. Clean Gutters and Downspouts

Don’t forget the things that will be checked on the exterior of your home! You should already be cleaning your gutters and downspouts as part of your routine maintenance, but you especially want to check them prior to an inspection. Debris may be preventing them from draining properly. The inspector will ensure that water is draining away from the house so that there is no potential for future structure issues there.

4. Make Necessary Repairs and Replacements

Go ahead and replace the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. If you don’t already have a fire extinguisher, then you will need to have one available. Replace any lightbulbs that are out to keep the inspection moving, without warranting unnecessary further investigation. You will also want to replace any torn screens, cracked windows, and missing roof tiles.

5. Last Minute Cleaning and Preparation

The inspector will need to be able to get into your attic and crawl space, so make sure there is plenty of room for those to be accessed. Check that all your utilities are on, pilot lights are lit, keys and remotes are available, the dishwasher is empty, and laundry has been removed from the washer and dryer. Lastly, leave out any paperwork for maintenance, repairs, or remodels.

Schedule Your Inspection Today

At United Property Inspectors, Inc., we inspect to a higher standard and with a 200% guarantee. Contact us today at (916) 788-1111 or schedule an inspection online now. We serve Sacramento, California, and nearby areas. To learn more about us and our services, you can browse our FAQs and specials.