Preparing For the Inspection
Buyer
Understand the home inspection process, its benefits and limitations.
The weather or accessibility to an area may cause a limitation.
Our buyers are always encouraged to attend the inspection. It
will be an informative and educational experience leading to a
fully informed purchasing decision.
Our objective is to discover major deficiencies that may effect
your buying decision.
Preventative maintenance suggestions and minor deficiencies
are not usually considered grounds for renegotiation but may be
brought to your attention as a courtesy.
The inspector will supply a rough cost estimate for remedying
major deficiencies.
Seller
There are many deficiencies that frighten buyers or affect the
price of a home much more than the cost of the repair. The following
tips should help you prepare yourself and your home for the buyer
and their inspector.
Disclosure
Do Not attempt to hide any problems or defects. This could cause
future liabilities to jump up and bite you when you least expect
it-- honesty is the best policy.
Serious Defect
If you think you're home has a serious defect get it professionally
evaluated. The problem can always be fixed and often for much
less than you expect. A serious defect will usually impact the
value of your home considerably more than the cost of the repair.
First Impression
Give the impression that your home is well maintained, an attitude
of pride of ownership
-- trim trees, bushes and grass
-- clean debris from eavestroughs
-- replace broken windows and hardware
Good Working Order
Make sure everything is in good working order
-- doors and windows open and close smoothly and don't stick
-- clean and service the furnace and replace the filter
-- clean and service the humidifier, remove scale etc.
-- service plumbing fixtures, dripping taps, running toilets etc.
-- overhead garage door should run smoothly and automatically
reverse
Bathrooms
-clean and repaired caulking around bathroom fixtures and repaired
cracked grouting
Exterior
-- repair or replace caulking as required around the exterior
of the home around doors, windows and other openings in the exterior
finish.
Exterior Trim
-- paint and repair exterior trim as required
-- this helps aesthetically and protect the trim and windows seals
from deterioration
Storm Water Management
-- make sure eaves troughs are well secured and cleanout leaves
and debris.
-- make sure eaves trough downspouts discharge at least five feet
from the foundation
-- make sure that landscaping is tapered so as to encourage water
to flow away from the house.
Water Damage and Stains and their Cause
Should Be Repaired:
-- probably the biggest deterrent to a home buyer is signs of
water damage
-- excess condensation on windows damages drywall below the windows
-- roof or plumbing leaks or overflows from plumbing fixtures
that have stained ceilings below.
Access:
-- make sure to provide easy access to the furnace, hot water
tank, electrical panel, attic hatch, garage and all rooms in your
home
-- don't give the appearance of hiding something by having large
amounts of stored items against a wall. Buyers do assume the worst.
Your Smoke Detectors Will Be Tested
-- if they are connected to monitoring service, inform the monitoring
company and your inspector
Many home sellers choose to have a professional inspection performed
before they list their property for sale. The inspection report
can serve as a valuable tool to prepare your home for sale
The Report
Our computer-generated report is the leader in the industry.
We've combined the best of the checklist and the narrative style
format to offer you a clear understanding of your home.
The report is easy read, prioritizes the findings and includes
photo documentation plus diagrams. This helps you understand which
areas need to be addressed immediately and which can wait.
The report will identify all major deficiencies and safety hazards
that are visible at the time of the inspection and provide repair
and replacement costs and maintenance advice.
The Equipment
As a leader in the inspection field we are continually upgrading
our inspection equipment and report delivery.
Every HomeCrafters® inspector carries state-of-the-art inspection
equipment including moisture detectors, carbon monoxide detectors,
combustible gas detectors, electrical circuit testers, digital
cameras, portable computers and printers.
Moisture Detector
The moisture detector detects excess moisture in building materials
behind finish surface that you can see. The inspector can determine
if a stain on the surface is the sign of a onetime overflow above
or if it is an active leak.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless and deadly gas. It is
produced as a product of incomplete combustion. We perform the
carbon monoxide test first in the furnace plenum to determine
if the carbon monoxide is being produced and then in the living
area to determine if it is escaping into the home.
Electrical Circuit Tester
The electrical circuit tester is needed to determine the continuity
of wiring, the polarity, the presence of grounding and the operation
of ground fault circuit interrupters. [CFCI's]
Combustible Gas Detectors
Combustible gases are safety hazard and this detector is used
to determine their presence.
Tic Tracer
This tool is used to determine whether electrical current is present
in an electrical wire or fixture.
Water Pressure Gauge
The water pressure supplied to home is tested to insure it is
adequate for your needs yet not so high it will cause failure
in your plumbing fixtures
Digital Camera
A picture is worth 1000 words is a well-known saying. This is
definitely true of the pictures in the home inspection report.
It may be necessary for our client to explain a deficiency to
the third party and a picture makes an explanation more understandable.
Laptop Computer
Our inspectors come to the inspection equipped with a laptop computer to produce your inspection report. The custom home inspection software loaded on the laptops has been specifically customized over the past 10 years by HomeCrafters® to give you the best possible report in the market. Your personalized Mini-CD will be mailed to you, for your permanent record, the next day.
Portable Printer
Portable printers allow us to print your inspection report
immediately onsite so you can make an educated decision about your purchase and waive your conditions.
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