Are you selling your house? Then you must know that the process of selling your house involves trained professionals inspecting your house to find defects. Yes, a home inspection. This process is dreaded by most sellers because they don’t know what problems could arise after such an inspection. This is why knowing more about the process is necessary. This article will cover everything a seller needs to know about a home inspection in Hudson Valley NY.
Home inspection: An overview
A home inspection is a process where a trained professional inspects your house to find the hidden defects and safety issues. This can happen in two ways; either your buyer gets it before closing the deal, or you conduct it before listing the property.
A typical home inspection takes about 3-4 hours for inspecting the house and 1-3 days for drafting the report that the client (buyer or seller) gets. Both sellers and buyers can be present during the inspection; anyone else and the inspector will find it difficult to do his job.
Home inspections typically cover every part of the house and look for major issues like,
- Water damage
- Electrical issues
- Structural issues
- Damaged roof
- HVAC problems
- Pest infestation
- Plumbing issues
A point to note here is that home inspections don’t cover components that aren’t visible or accessible.
How to prepare for a home inspection
Preparing the house for a home inspection is important, as the report will state inaccessible areas in the house. Here’s how sellers can prepare their homes for an inspection.
- Collect all the repair and maintenance work receipts.
- Declutter the house and make sure the house is accessible throughout.
- Replace the filters and conduct minor repairs like fixing windows.
- Make sure bulbs, switches, and appliances are in working condition
- Run water to check the plumbing system
- Take care of any infestation and unused gas lines and chimneys.
- Trim trees close to the roof and gutter system.
How home inspections affect the sale
Home inspections can break an almost-closed real estate deal. A buyer could simply walk away from the deal, and sellers will need to put their house back on the market. This can cause problems when future buyers ask why the house is back on the market. However, the most common result of an inspection is the negotiation of the sale price and repairs. At this point, sellers can have their experts have another look to confirm the problem.
Conclusion
Home inspections are important during a house selling or buying process. It is a thorough inspection of the house that gives a detailed assessment of the house’s condition. The process allows buyers to have an edge when negotiating price and to know more about the house. Sellers can avoid failing the inspection through timely repairs and maintenance.
