8 Things Your Home Inspector Wishes You Knew

The home inspection is an important part of any real estate transition – for both buyers and sellers. If you’re considering selling a property in the future, you can do a few things to make the process smoother, easier, and faster for your home inspector.

We’ll share a few of the top things home inspectors want you to know in this blog.

Let’s dive in.

Have you sold homes before? Are you planning to sell your first property? No matter what, a home inspection is an important part of the process. Designed to identify issues and protect your investment, a home inspection safeguards buyers, sellers, and agents.

Fortunately, these eight must-knows can make the process easier and faster:

1. Pets make the job harder

Having pets underfoot makes it harder for the home inspector to do their job. Even if your pets are friendly and people-loving and the home inspector loves four-legged family members, tuck pets away as the inspector does their job.

This allows the inspector to get in and out quickly and devote their full attention to your property. It also keeps your pet safe and guarantees they won’t accidentally slip out of the house during the process.

2. Clutter makes it challenging for us to spot problems

Whether you plan to be home for the inspection, clear the clutter out of your house before the inspector arrives.

While a home inspector won’t judge you for streaky windows or a grimy stove (just make sure to clean these things before the house sells), they do need to access the nooks and crannies of your home, which can be tough if you’ve got a lot of junk in the way.

Before the inspector arrives, make sure to remove junk from your crawl space, attic, closets, and other vital areas of the home.

3. Almost anything can be fixed

If the home inspection reveals problems with your home (as it likely will – no house is perfect), don’t panic.

Most issues uncovered by a home inspection are minor and can easily be fixed. Plumbing can be repaired or updated, electrical panels can be replaced, and drafty windows can be modernized.

Even big things, like roofs and foundations, can be repaired if you’ve got the time and money to do the job. Finding issues with the home during the inspection doesn’t mean you can never sell it, only that you may need to invest some money in it first.

4. We can’t predict the future

If you’re wondering how long that hot water heater will last or how many more years the roof has in it, we canot give you an estimate on how long it will last. Some things last two to three times what they should and some things fail far sooner than their expected lifetime. Dirty things can be new and old things can be clean. There’s no way to predict what will happen after you buy a house.

5. Good inspections aren’t cheap – cheap inspections aren’t good

They say you get what you pay for, and that’s as true with home inspections as it is anything else. If you’re calling around looking for the cheapest inspector, you could be in for trouble. A home is probably the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make, and it’s worth investing in a good home inspection.

The inspection is a time-consuming, detailed process that requires a skilled, comprehensive inspector. Most inspectors love what they do, take pride in a thorough inspection, and charge accordingly for those services. Trying to price-shop or lowball your inspector is a sour note to start the relationship off with.

6. You’ll need to use your heart and your brain during the purchase

If you’re on the buying side, rather than the selling side of the real estate sale, it’s important to know you’ll need to use both your heart and your head during the sale.

If you find a home you love with lots of expensive issues, use your brain to determine whether the house is the one for you. Weighing emotion and reason can help you make the right choice for your home.

7. Water is a major danger sign

Water isn’t always a deal-breaker during a home sale, but it can be a red flag for other issues like mold and mildew. If you find water-related issues before the deal closes, you’ll want to address them immediately. Faulty plumbing, leaking roofs or ceilings, or water in the basement can be expensive and difficult to fix and can cause you lots of headaches after the sale is complete.

8. We’re here to help

Our goal is to uncover issues that everyone involved in the sale should know about. We’re honest, thorough experts who want to protect your best interests. That’s why you should NEVER waive the home inspection.

We’re happy to answer your questions, and we want to work with you to protect your investment or streamline your life as a home buyer or home seller.

Bonus tip: Honesty is always the best policy

If you know about an issue with your home, tell us about it before we perform the inspection. No matter how large or small the problem may be, we want to know about it.

We’ll likely identify the issue anyway. Knowing about it beforehand allows us to inspect other things that may be affected and assess the extent of the damage and needed repairs. With home inspections as in life, honesty is always the best policy.

Being upfront helps us do our job better, ensures a better relationship between home inspectors and clients, and helps speed up the home sale and purchase process for everyone involved in the deal.

406 Home Inspection Pros: Your Home Inspection Experts in Northwest Montana

If you’re considering relocation to Montana or already own a Montana home and are looking to buy or sell, 406 Home Inspection Pros is here for you. Our expert home inspectors will help you protect your home investment and streamline the sale process – from start to finish. Contact us to learn more or book your home inspection today.