Sellers: How to Get Ready for a House Inspection

While property inspections feel like a fail-safe for buyers, they can be a nerve-wracking experience for sellers who worry that an unknown flaw will bring the deal tumbling down. If you find yourself in this situation, here are tips from an experienced building inspector on how you can prepare for a house inspection.

If you are looking for an unbiased and comprehensive inspection in the Bay of Plenty or Waikato ahead of a sale, talk to the qualified builders at Straight Up Inspections.

Be transparent

Have you done any renovations, maintenance work or made any insurance claims while living in the house? Tell the house inspector about anything that has been done to the house, and hopefully you have all the relevant paperwork to prove it’s been done by the books. The inspector will find anything amiss, but by being upfront you can show that the house has been well cared for over the years.

Clean the house

This isn’t an open home, but a messy house still makes a poor impression on a house inspector. By putting away laundry, cleaning the dishes and giving the floors a once-over with the vacuum, your house looks cared for and loved – plus, it allows the builder to carry out the inspection with ease.

Check your chattels

While a building inspector will look for things you won’t be able to inspect yourself, do what you can to prepare by making sure all your chattels are in working order. Turn the heat pump and oven on and off, check the fire alarm, clean the curtains and replace any light bulbs that have burnt. While this won’t prevent any structural surprises, it will mean that your building report isn’t riddled with small faults.

Give the building inspector some space

We suggest you clear out and give the inspector the space and privacy to do his job, after all, there’s nothing more suspicious than a homeowner looking over the inspector’s shoulder the entire time! While you may not like leaving a stranger alone in your house, you can trust a reliable property inspector, and the buyers will feel confident that you didn’t have an influence on the building report.

Protect yourself

Make sure that whoever is coming to carry out the property inspection is qualified, unbiased and trustworthy with a good reputation in your community.

For a thorough house inspection both parties can trust in Tauranga, Rotorua, the wider Bay of Plenty and parts of the Waikato, talk to Straight Up Inspections at 021 204 2630.

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