Below is the transcription for the video Home Inspection Tips San Antonio (For Sellers)
10 Tips to Prepare for your Home Inspection
Are you selling your home and starting to think about the home inspection? Well, you need to be ready.
Hi, I'm Pam Roberts with the Gateway Group at Keller Williams. Welcome to San Antonio Homes Insider. If you're new to our channel, we give buyer tips and selling secrets for the real estate market here in San Antonio. On today's video, we're going to give you 10 tips to get ready for the inspection. But don't worry. We provided a checklist, and we can give you the information on how to get that at the end of this video.
What is your role as a seller?
So most likely, if you found this video, you're already under contract. So congratulations. That's a huge milestone. Being prepared for your home inspection now is going to save you tons on negotiations as you move through the transaction process. These seller tips are not in any particular order, but they're all important to do to prepare for the home inspection.
Inspections will typically be scheduled by the buyer or the buyer's agent. And when they're scheduled, it's your responsibility to ensure that the home is available and ready for inspection. We typically ask our sellers to leave the house during the inspection to give the inspector and the buyer some privacy. They may be there for two to four hours.
#1 Utilities
First, you're going to want to make sure that all of the utilities are on, that means the water, the electricity, the gas. The inspector will not be able to check everything if these utilities are not on.
#2 Showing Ready
Our second tip for getting ready for the home inspection is to make sure the home is showing ready. Just like when you were showing the buyers when they were coming in to look at your home and kind of consider it. The home inspection is the next point where you'll want to make sure the house is in show-ready condition. Consider the inspection, basically, your second date for the buyers to look at the property.
I know this can be a tough time. You're getting ready to move. You're starting to pack. You might have kids and pets and all the things, but again, making the house ready for the inspection it's going to pay off big time.
#3 Pets
Number three, you're going to make sure that all your pets are either created or away from the property during the inspection. The inspector wants to make sure they have access to all of the rooms, and they certainly don't want to have a loose pet.
#4 Batteries and Bulbs
The number four tip to get ready is to make sure you have all of the light bulbs replaced or working as well as all batteries in systems so that those can also be checked. That includes ceiling fans. That includes the key to the gas fireplace. Yes, the inspector will give you a ding if there's a light that's not working.
#5 Open and Unlock
The next tip is called open and unlock. Make sure that all areas of the home are unlocked. And if they are not able to be unlocked, provide a set of well-marked keys. Make sure all of the back gates are unlocked.
#6 Clear Obstructions
Next, number six, make sure there's no obstructions. That means that the inspector can get to the water unit. There's not storage and boxes in front of it. They can also access the attic, and they can get to the ladder. Just make sure that they can have access to all parts of the home.
#7 Empty Dishwasher
Here's a tip you might not know, and that is the inspector's going to run either a partial or a full dishwasher cycle. They are going to make sure that it's in functioning order. You'll want to make sure the dishwasher is empty before they arrive.
#8 Change Air Filters
Because we live in San Antonio and the air conditioning systems take a beating, it's so important to make sure that the filters are changed and clean when they come to inspect. It shows that you are taking care of the property and that there's potentially no issues. It's always a good sign to have the filters changed before they arrive. If you're getting ready to sell your house and you haven't put your house on the market yet, we did a video about how to get your house ready for market, and we'll put a link to that up in the cards above.
#9 Provide Special Instructions
Next, it's always a good measure to include any special instructions for something that's peculiar about the house. One example might be a double latch that could be on your electrical panel. So it will make it easier for them to access.
#10 Fix Obvious Repairs
And our last tip is so important. And that is, fix all minor repairs that are obvious. So if you have a slight drip or a leak in one of your bathrooms, go ahead and have a plumber come out and take care of that because it will get noted. And you want the inspector to have an overall good impression, so when they speak with the buyer and the other agent that they give the house a thumbs-up.
We'll put a link to our top 10 inspector checklist items in the bio below. So make sure you check that out and download it, so when the inspector comes to your house, you'll be ready ahead of time. Don't forget to reach out to us if you have any questions about the buying or selling process of your home here in San Antonio. And as always, have a great day.
BONUS FREEBIE: Click here to get your checklist
