|
Quite often, today’s discerning homebuyer is including a pre-purchase home inspection as a condition within their offer to purchase. In a large number of transactions, many homeowners are unaware that their property has deficiencies. Further to this, the results of a professional home inspection often forces the owner to reduce his sale price to compensate for the deficiencies or in other instances, lose the sale completely.
Prior to offering a property for sale, the homeowner should perform some routine maintenance to reduce the number of items that a Home Inspector will ultimately report. Performing routine maintenance and minor repairs on the items the Inspector will examine will improve the general impression of the property to both the Inspector and the prospective purchaser – in effect obtain a positive report. These minor repairs are inexpensive and can be accomplished within a short period of time. The Inspectors routine will check the structure and mechanical components as well as each interior room, so have the paths to these areas cleared for easy access and have keys available for all locked doors.
Exterior
Components
Seal leaky gutters/downspouts, clean debris from gutters and ensure downspout extensions are intact and deflect water away from structure.
Replace missing shingles and re-caulk deteriorated of lifted caulking around flashing.
Repair minor cracks to the exterior walls.
Repair broken masonry on walkways and steps, and repair loose or missing railings.
Trim trees and shrubs away from roof and exterior walls.
Check caulking and seals around exterior windows, doors, and garage doors and replace if necessary.
Repair settlement of decks and patios and replace damaged/rotted sections.
Interior Components<
- Have windows and doors in working order and replace faulty window and door hardware, broken panes and seals; and loosen windows that have been painted shut.
- Repair minor cracks or holes in ceiling and walls.
- Replace damaged or incomplete baseboards, molding and window/door casings.
- Check caulking and grout around tub/shower, kitchen counters, and sinks. Replace if necessary.
- Repair leaky faucets and fixtures; unclog slow drains using commercial drain cleaner.
- Have major kitchen appliances in working order.
- Have all exhaust fans, air exchanger, and air/heat recovery ventilator functional and operating.
- Have furnace in certified good working order and replace dirty filter if necessary.
- Secure service panel and have cover intact.
- In a service panel with screw type plug fuses, have blown and oversize fuses replaced.
- Repair faulty receptacles, switches, and faceplates.
- Change used batteries in smoke detectors.
Warranties And Receipts
To improve the attractiveness of your home, make available all records and warranties for all major renovations, structural repairs, and service repairs. Have the previous year’s heating and electrical bills available:
- Receipts for service and warranties for all built in appliances.
- Warranties for major items such as waterproofing, roof coverings, siding, windows, flooring, etc.
- Information on the age of major components such as furnace, water heater, etc
|
