Selling your home can make you feel like you're living in a fishbowl, with potential buyers and real estate agents evaluating, judging and otherwise picking apart the place you've called home for years. Just before the actual sale comes the most intense scrutiny of all: the home inspection.
A pre-sale home inspection is pretty much a given in home sales today, and on occasion it can actually make or break the transaction. A home inspection ensures that the buyer knows exactly what they're buying, and if the seller hasn't done the preparation that enables full disclosure and prevents surprises, it can be a nerve-wracking experience.
"There's a huge psychological dynamic that happens in this whole process," says David Tamny, a certified home inspector in Columbus, OH, and president of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). "The buyers are making a big purchase and they're obviously going through a whole host of emotions, and then you've got the inspector there, and it's their job to deliver up to the buyer's expectations...There could be problems the seller isn't even aware of that could impact someone's decision to buy the house."
If you're new to the home sale process, study this guide to prepare for and survive the presale inspection. You'll earn valuable peace of mind and possibly a profitable sale price as well.
How a home inspection works
Nearly all of today's home purchase contracts include a home inspection contingency clause, which is a provision allowing the buyer to hire a professional home inspector to thoroughly evaluate of the house and determine if there are any issues with its structure or systems. Once a purchase contract has been signed, the buyer can book a professional inspector of their choosing, whom they may or may not accompany during the two- to three-hour inspection.
A typical home inspection includes a check of a house's structural and mechanical condition but can also encompass tests for radon gas, detection of wood-destroying insects and other services requested by the buyer. Back in 1976, the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) standardized the home inspection process and established Standards of Practice dictating what must be inspected as well as how far the professional home inspector needs to go to report their findings.
According to ASHI, the ten critical areas for inspection during the process are the structure, exterior, roofing system, plumbing system, electrical system, heating system, air conditioning system, interior, insulation and ventilation, and fireplaces.
Once the home inspection is complete, the inspector creates a report for the home buyer detailing all that was found. This report will note problems requiring immediate attention and conditions that could lead to more serious issues over time.
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