8 Tips For Making Your Dallas Home Inspection Go Smoothly
Selling a home in the Dallas area? At some point, your potential buyers will hire a home inspector. When you get to that point in the process, oftentimes the stakes are high, contracts are in the balance, and negotiations will depend on the outcome of the inspection. Timing becomes extremely important, and you need things to go as smoothly as possible. Here are some tips from our professional inspectors for homeowners preparing for an inspection.
1. Access.
Make sure your inspector has access to everything he needs to check. Can he get into the attic, the crawl space, storage areas, garages and gates? Are there keys or remote controls he will need to access these areas? Any home inspector will tell you how frequently he will arrive to inspect a home and can’t get into one or more areas, and has to schedule a time to return. This adds cost and time to what can already be an expensive and lengthy process.
2. Be up front about previous repairs.
Have you had foundation work? Have you replaced plumbing, roofing or HVAC? Keep all the paperwork and show it to the inspector - this way, if he sees anything, he’ll know exactly what’s going on. If you’re hoping your inspector won’t notice a problem, this could backfire. If your inspector has to guess, he’ll assume the worst, and you’ll end up having to call plumbers, contractors and other home professionals in.
3. Keep manuals and paperwork.
If you’ve purchased or replaced appliances, equipment, roofing, plumbing - anything major - keep the documentation, owner’s manuals, etc. and provide these to your inspector. Not only does it show that you take care of your home, but it provides a reference should any question arise.
4. Fix small repairs and detail work.
Things like caulking around sinks, tubs and showers, sealant around windows and doors, loose toilets or fixtures, can be easily fixed before your inspector arrives. These are items that show up on reports and sometimes require a professional to be called, when you could have easily taken care of it ahead of time. Make sure windows and doors open, close and latch properly. Check drains in sinks. Change the batteries in smoke detectors. These little things add up and reflect negatively on your report.
5. Get rid of nasty rain gutters.
If your rain gutters are clogged, dirty, rusty or falling off in places, take them down. You are not required to have rain gutters- but if you have bad rain gutters, you’ll be required to fix them.
6. Check for water problems.
The other most common issue that comes up in home inspections is water leakage. You can check this in a couple of ways before the inspection, and be able to make decisions about any problems you might find before they go on the report. You can get a water key to check your meter. Turn off all the water in the house and out, then check the meter- if it’s still moving, you’ve got a leak. Next (and this one is for the braver folks among us), get into your crawl space and check for any standing water.
7. Take your dog to day care.
The inspector needs to be able to walk (or crawl) through every part of your property, including the yard, the fence, the crawl space and every part of the interior. Having to move and secure your dog or chase your cat into the crawlspace takes time and energy. Not to mention, many dogs and cats react badly to seeing strange people poking around their houses - and you don’t want to add an accidental biting/scratching/jumping incident to your inspection process. We love pets, but take them to a friend’s or doggie day care the day of your inspection.
8. Provide security codes.
It happens more than you'd think - unsuspecting home inspectors setting off security systems. It's a good idea to leave your alarm system on if you're not going to be present for the inspection. We suggest assigning a temporary access code and attaching it to the front door key you provide. This way your home is secure, and you won't get any calls from your alarm company.
