1. Clean the House
This sounds so simple yet home owners often overlook this tactic. Home inspectors are people first and inspectors second. As people, they carry preconceived ideas of how well a home has been maintained. Clean homes say you care and take care of the house.
2. Be On Time Because the Inspector Will Be
Sometimes home inspectors are early. If an inspector makes an appointment with you for 9:00 a.m., have the house ready for inspection at 8:30. It’s also common for inspectors to start on the exterior of the home, so leave the shades down or drapes drawn until you are dressed. More than one unprepared seller has been “surprised” by a stranger stomping around in the back yard.
3. Leave the Utilities Connected
The home inspector will need to turn on the stove, run the dishwasher, test the furnace and air conditioning, so leave the utilities on if the house is vacant. It’s impossible to check. receptacles for grounding and reverse polarity if the power is turned off.
4. Provide Work space Around home components
Make sure there is access to the electrical panel, sump pump, furnace, water heater and water softeners. The inspector will need to access all of these to test and inspect them.
5. Provide Access to Attics
Make sure there is free & open access to all attic opening in the house and garage. If needed, move clothes and storage material out of the way. If there is a garage attic hatch, make sure there is not a car, boat or boxes underneath the hatch.
6. Don’t hide the clutter
Do not stuff everything in the closet or in the cabinets or under the sinks to try to make it appear clean. These areas need to be accessed during the inspection.
7. Leave Keys for Outbuildings & Electrical Boxes
Leave the remote controls for your garage door opener or a key if the garage is unattached to the house. Unlock the covers for your sprinkler system and electrical box. Leave a key for exterior building access.
8. Don’t try to be sneaky
Do not try to hide defects. Home inspectors have seen every trick that a seller has tried to hide a defect and it only reflects poorly on the seller.
9. Take your pets with you
If possible, remove all pets from the property. The list of reasons behind this is too long to mention, but I’m sure you can come up with a few.
10. Prepare to be Away for Three Hours Minimum
When sellers choose to stay in the home during the inspection, it is always perceived very negatively by the buyers. This is the buyer’s home inspection, they paid for it and it is their opportunity to discuss freely and openly any questions and concerns they may have about the property with the inspector.