Most lenders throughout the country will insist that a home inspection be done before they approve funding for a mortgage. You will find that a home inspection can make or break a deal, especially if it comes back very good or very bad. A very good home inspection could convince the lender that the buyer is getting a great deal and that could speed up the mortgage approval process. A very bad home inspection could cause the lender to abandon the deal completely.
As the seller, you will be given fair warning as to when the inspector will be coming to your home. You should use that time to get your home ready to make the kind of impression that will help the buyer's funding to go through quickly.
The inspector's report will be used by both sides of the transaction and scrutinized carefully by the lender and possibly the title company as well. An experienced home inspector is not going to be bowled over by a sweet smelling home or the offer of a full meal when they arrive. Your time is better spent preparing your home for the inspection and not in developing ways to try and personally impress the inspector.
An inspector will be looking for building code violations, areas of the home that need repair, and any issues that will affect the overall quality of the home. A coat of paint and some new throw pillows are going to help in an appraisal, but they will not have the same effect during an inspection. When you work on your home to prepare for an inspection, you need to think practical.
If you have an older roof (15 years or older), then you should consider getting it replaced before the inspection. If the roof is not too old, then you should have it inspected by a certified professional and take their advice on updates and repairs. If you are missing shingles, then get those shingles replaced. If the gutters need to be replaced, then have that work done.
If the front steps look like they need some repair, then take care of that work immediately. Prior to a home inspection, it is best to get those repairs done immediately. A good way to make sure all essential repairs are done is to bring in a professional handyman to look your property over and make all of the structural repairs that will matter to a home inspector.
When it comes to clutter in your home and a home inspection, you want to clear out clutter to allow the inspector easy access to all of the areas of your home. Walkways and stairwells that lead to your attic and basement as well as access to your garage should be cleared to make the process easier on the inspector.
Many people think that preparing for a home inspection is just like preparing for an appraisal and that is where they go wrong. A home inspector is not there to determine how much of an investment should be made in the property. The inspector is there to determine whether or not the investment in buying your home is a good one.
