Your house is sold and now it is going to be inspected.

Like dressing up to go out, you should also prepare your home for its debut.  A home inspection is limited to visual observations of the major components of your home and is totally non-invasive.  Your Home Inspector needs access to all areas of your home is an important part of the home inspection.

There are areas of the home which you might not consider requiring access but are important access points to the home inspector.  All electrical panels, attic access,  utility areas and pumps etc should be made accessible for testing.   Unfortunately your Home Inspector is not responsible for moving furniture or storage boxes in order to perform his duties.

The purpose of a home inspection is to protect the buyer from unforeseen problems and expenses.  Allowing full access is very important to this goal.

 

Preparing for Home Inspection Tips

• Ensure all services such as hydro, gas and water are hooked up and working.  Failure to have working utilities result in an incomplete inspection. With the home owners permission the Angus Home Inspector will turn on utilities for inspection and then ensure that they are turned off after the inspection.
• Trim back any bushes or growth around your home that may prevent access to the homes vents, hose bibs, air conditioners, basement windows and utility connections.  Every wall of home should be visible to the inspector.
• Keep your garage storage away from doors and electrical boxes.  If you have a central vacuum ensure inspector can access it.  Please leave auto door openers if required to open and close garage doors.
• As part of the home inspection every light is tested and outlets are checked for power and polarity.  Ensure all the lights are in working condition.  If you have any locked doors please ensure they are opened or key is made available.
• Make your kitchen and bathroom sinks accessible as all taps and drains are required to be inspected as part of the home inspection process.  Please leave out your bathtub drain stopper so that tub can also be checked.
• Many people use their utility rooms or areas as storage.  Please ensure the home inspector has adequate access to furnaces, hot water tanks, HRV units, sump pumps and shut off valves.  If you have renovated your basement and covered over a required valve or shut off, please leave a note indicating its location. Inspecting the attic can be a daunting experience depending on the location of your access hatch.  Many times the access hatch is located in a bedroom closet.   Cleaning out your closet temporarily can make the attic inspection much easier and keeping area tidy that much easier.  If you have a split level home don’t forget that there is typically two separate access hatches for each level of roof.  Some access hatches are in the garage ceiling and sellers will sometimes leave vehicles under hatches making access impossible.  Move any storage or vehicles that may block access to attics.
• In most areas the Real Estate Agent is required to be present for the entire home inspection.   They will usually request the Home Owner to be away for the scheduled amount of time the inspection is booked for.  This enables the buyer to participate in the home inspection and ensure they gets full value for the services purchased.  This also makes the Home Inspection less stressful on all parties.  If you have pets it is probably in their best interest that they be properly caged or even better taken by the home owner.

 

Home sellers often feel stress and anxiety when having their home inspected. Every single home has issues to be addressed, some more important than others, there is no perfect home.  If you have particular items that you are worried about or want to explain, please leave a note on the kitchen counter or have your Realtor forward information to buyers Realtor. The inspection report becomes the property of the client and any disclosure of information can only be made with the permission of client.  Many times we encounter a life safety situation or potential for property damage.  We always leave a note and also pass the information on to your Realtor.

The Angus Home Inspector takes great pride in the professional knowledge gained by performing over 6,500 inspections.  Memberships in many Professional Home and Commercial Associations and also holding the designation of a Certified Building Code Official.    We endeavor to provide our clients with the best available information about the property they are purchasing and their concerns are our only priority.  Most of our business comes from referrals and although many Realtors choose to recommend us we are and independent entity and do not rely on third parties for business.  So we can offer a completely unbiased inspection of any property you are contemplating buying.