Everything You Need to Know About Your Upcoming Home Inspection

As you prepare to sell your house, it is important to know that you will need a home inspection. This is one of the biggest issues that can throw a wrench in your sale. That's why you need to know what to expect and how to handle the report once it is completed. Get ready, because this is going to be a doozy! This is often a big hurdle of the closing process. In fact, issues found during the inspection cause 16% of closing delays.

 

The good news is that this part isn't actually handled by you. The buyers will order the home inspection on your house within 10 days of putting the contract into escrow. A home inspector will come to your house to look for and mark down any health, safety, or major mechanical issues. The inspector will go through the interior and exterior of your house to find and make note of any broken, defected, or hazardous issues within or the house or on the property. He or she will then write up a report on their findings and give it to the buyer's real estate professional.

 

This shouldn't take long, which is great if you're in a hurry to sell. A typical home inspection takes just a few hours for an average sized house. Then the report takes about a few days to complete and send over.

 

No home is perfect, not even yours. You should expect to see quite a few issues mentioned in the inspection report. Thankfully, most of them will be minor.

 

Most potential buyers are only concerned with any problems that could pose a health or safety risk once they are the homeowner. These are the big issues in your home that could cause a major delay or the deal to fall through all together:

 

Water Damage

Mold

Structural Issues

Roof Damage

Electrical Issues

Plumbing Problems

Insect or Pest Infestations

HVAC Issues

 

You’ll consult with your real estate professional and weigh your options. These include:

 

#1 Fix the issue yourself. You can bring in your own professionals to fix the problem before completing the sale. Let's say the mold inspection and testing in Fort Myers, FL found mold. The buyers may want it completely eradicated before they sign on the dotted line.

 

#2 Give the buyers a "credit" to fix the issues themselves. This is a great option if you’re trying to keep the sale moving forward on a tight timeline. Let's say the mold testing in Fort Myers, FL said there was mold, but you don't want to delay closing. At closing, you give the buyers a check to pay for it even though they technically own the house now.

 

#3 Reject any repair requests. Let's say you got a pre-inspection which included mold testing in Fort Myers, FL before listing your house. You already knew there was mold and you priced the house lower with this issue in mind. The price reflects your home’s condition and the work that needs to be done, so you don’t have to give buyers anything else.

 

You will be able to navigate your home sale confidently by understanding all of this. This will only be a small obstacle as the home seller, so don't fret. Your home's For Sale sign will soon be replaced with a Sold sign!