Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog

Preparing your home for a home inspection – Advice for Sellers

Time to get ready for a home inspection

I’m booking yet another home inspection for a client next week, hence the idea for an article about what sellers should do to prepare for the inspection.

To start with,  most sellers get a little bit nervous when the home inspection is scheduled.    As many people know, a home inspection can make or break your Colorado Springs Real Estate sale.

Although there’s not much that can be done regarding the unknown, there are a few simple tips that can make the home inspection process a bit more pleasant:

1. Clean up!   This may sound simple, but the first thing a seller should remember is that a home inspector’s first impression of your home can create an impression in his or her mind.    A clean house, for example, evokes a feeling that the homeowner takes pride in his or her home and that basic maintenance has been taken care of.
2. Connections!   Leave utilities and water connected, even if the house is vacant.    A home inspector will need access to the water, the gas and the electricity to test your home’s appliances, furnace, hot water heater, air conditioner, etc.    Because a major part of the inspection involves making sure that there are no plumbing leaks or electrical issues, leaving the utilities and water connected is important.
3. Clear the way!    Make sure the inspector can access the garage, the electrical panel, the attic, the furnace and the hot water heater. Remove any clutter and create a clear pathway.  
4. Make it easy!  Make sure gates, cabinets and sheds are unlocked.  
5. Leave the house!   Also,  make arrangement to leave the house and if possible take the pets during the home inspection.    A home inspection can last anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours, so  plan to be gone for at least a few hours.     If you have a pet that should not be let out or should be kept in a particular part of the house, leave a note on the front door. Knowing the pet’s name is also useful to help put him or her at ease.

Other articles for sellers

• Colorado Homeowners, don’t remodel until you read this!
• Are you a pet owner trying to sell your home
• Should I take my home off the market during the holidays?
• A 12 point checklist to make sure your home shows well to Colorado Springs buyers
• Do you want your home in Colorado Springs to stand out from the competition?
• A tech savvy realtor can help sell your home
• It’s all about the home warranty
• What are closing costs in real estate?

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Kathy (719-287-1049)   KTorline@msn.com

Tags: Home Inspections, home sellers tips, selling a house, Selling my home

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 7:17 am and is filed under For Sellers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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