Fix these items to avoid a bad home inspection! Home Inspection Check List REVISED!

it's that time of year again where I update my home inspection checklist this is the best one so far for those of you who watched last year yes I'm wearing the exact same outfit and that was not intentional but anyway I will link down below a list of the checklist items that we're discussing in this video there are a few additional ones that I add that I'm not going to talk about in this video in fact there is one that I completely forgot so you're going to have to listen to the end for the one that I didn't add to the checklist but you will get a lot of value out of this video it's extremely boring but it's essential I recently did a video on what to look for if you're buying or selling a property um I will link that video down below in the description box along with the checklist I created for that video as well it's a really good video I think you're going to get some value and of course if you're getting any value out of my video can you please smash that like button and subscribe to my channel we all know it's free so any time my videos come up you're notified and it helps the algorithm push this you know video out to the the masses which of course we want to educate as many people as we can the reason why we're going to address some of these issues on the home inspection checklist is because you want a smooth home inspection report the last thing you want as a home seller is to finally get under contract with the buyer go through the inspection process they have them back out because they're overwhelmed with the repairs on their property or the Deferred maintenance and they're like fooy that I'm not moving forward I'm afraid or better yet they might ask for a huge reduction on price or they might even you know request a huge credit and let me tell you buyers always overestimate the repairs on a property I've had a lot of my followers and subscribers in the past take this checklist and do those repairs and they have reached back out to me and said otter we're so grateful that you put this out in the public we had a great home inspection and we really attribute our success on our property to some of the suggestions that you made in these videos so I I wish you the best of luck let's get into it smoke detectors and see detectors need to be installed properly on all properties especially in California so you also need to put the date of installation on the detector if there's no date of installation the home inspector will say this is not a valid smoke detector it needs to be replaced and the date needs to be properly installed if an appraiser is called out to the property and the smoke detector and the CO detector is not present they will not turn in their report it is really important that you install these and you understand where they need to be located in your property make sure they're less than 10 years old and have the date of installation written or stamped or printed on that device in California it is required by law to have smoke detectors and CO detectors installed properly now I'm not sure if that's true for every state in California we're also required to make sure the water heater is strapped properly if you have a large tank it could require three straps if it's a smaller tank it might require two straps it's not a a bad idea to have a pan underneath a water heater and a sediment trap I would go look up what sediment trap is it will come up in a home inspection report if one is not present on your water heater Windows always seem to find a place on the home inspection report so in my area it's very common to have compromised windows that look a little foggy there could be a cracked window maybe the windows don't open and close really smoothly but a home inspector will note on the home inspection report that they're noticing that some of the windows are not in great work working condition and they may recommend that a window expert comes out to the property because it's outside of their scope of evaluation so if you get a window expert to come out to look at the property let me tell you you're going to have a ton of window problems because of course they want to sell windows so I would go around before you put your house on the market making sure all your windows are operational and nothing noticeably is wrong with them the home inspector when they're looking at those windows will be looking at those window treatments as well so if you have Plantation shutters and little bracket things are falling off and not working that will come up in a home inspection if your drapes aren't functioning properly your level lures are misaligning that will also come up in a home inspection so you know couple things here get it replaced or tear them out I'm serious I would rather have no window treatments in the property and have to do repairs then have it come up on a home inspection report and have that buyer request to have it repaired or to have it replaced so if they don't exist at all you don't have a problem make sure all the light bulbs work on the property meaning that there's no burned out light bulbs because if an inspector does see that there's a burned out light bulb they will use the word inoperable and let me tell you buyers hate the word inoperable electrical cover plates are missing broken or not installed properly this is a very easy fix you can go to Home Depot buy them for a few bucks install them yourself and I don't know what it is but if you go into the attic there always seems to be a missing or broken cover plate I don't know if the rats are messing around with them but nonetheless you know definitely make sure that you install these cover plates make sure they're installed properly it will come up on a home inspection report this comes up all the time on home inspection reports and that is the GFI switches aren't installed in the proper areas so you want to have a GFI switch near every single water source in the property and if you don't know I would actually hire an electrician to come out to make sure that those are installed in the right areas and installed properly it's a really good safety precaution anyway this is a big one and that is the HVAC system so the furnace and the air conditioning unit need to be in good working order during the home inspection so before I put any of my houses on the market I always suggest to my sellers to have an hvat expert come out to the property fill up the proper Freon levels because an inspector will turn all these systems on check the heating check the the air making sure it's at the cooler temperature and the higher temperature within a normal range and if your units are not doing that it will fail an inspection and more than likely your buyer will either ask for a credit for repair or replacement so I would say bring that HVAC systems expert out there and have them write a good bill of health for those units it'll save you a lot of hassle in the long run now if your HVAC systems aren't working I would say replace them now there's some areas that are more sensitive than others so people in Arizona obviously love their air conditioning and people back East love their heaters or their furnaces so every area is going to have a different demand but for the most part if something's not functioning on your property you need to have it working by the time the inspector comes to the property so maybe you replace that furnace or that air conditioning unit with a refurbished model or maybe you find one that has an imperfection or a scratch or a close out like we don't need to invest in the Top Line most expensive unit but the unit should be operational once again during the home inspection or you can expect your buyer to offer you a lower price or perhaps even request a credit that's far more expensive than and something you could Source on your own all right the filters throughout the property need to be replaced they should be white someone said there was some dark ones baloney just go buy the white ones they look clean the inspector will call it out if they are dirty when we live in our properties we don't notice this but that is the crack grout in the bathrooms the kitchen or even on the floors it will come up in a home inspection the home inspector will say this is not a cosmetic deal it is a issue with potential water intrusion meaning that the water could go into the crack and cause some damage so in my opinion you should have this repaired before you put your house on the market because you don't want that coming up in a home inspection report and it's relatively inexpensive and cheap to repair your refrigerator coil needs to be cleaned out and if you have no idea what I'm talking about just Google it it's gross it's dirty it puts undue strain on the refrigerator motor so make sure it's cleaned out it will come up in a home inspection and it will make your buyers feel like the house has been wellmaintained the less these items do come up on the inspection the water dispenser at the refrigerator doesn't work comes up all the time now the problem folks with this is that to get it repaired you have to order all these parts that take forever to get into stock right so you want to get ahead of this sooner than later and if you can't get that water dispenser serviceable by the time you get to that home inspection at least you can tell your buyer that you know hey we're waiting for parts we have every intention on fixing it for you something else that comes up is that ice maker also goes kaput so you want to get these things repaired before you put your house on the market if possible or at least get the ball rolling okay and by the way if you ever buy a refrigerator don't buy the one with a water dispenser those things never work and they taste nasty anyway I don't know just don't do it since we're on refrigerators if you have a beverage refrigerator and you guys know what I'm talking about the wine refrigerator or the one out by the barbecue that you hold drinks in or whatever like I don't know what it is but those things never work now if they're not working don't just leave it in there because it looks good okay either remove it like just have a big blank hole who cares you can say install your own but if you leave it in place the buyer is going to expect that it's working and then they're going to ask for a credit so once again get rid of it or replace it go buy a cheapy somewhere U Craigslist eBay whatever but make sure it's functioning and it's probably not kitchen cooktop burners all need to turn on Okay if there's six of them all six need to turn on we don't tell our buyer oh you only need four anyway no it's not the answer okay they all need to be functional usually it's a quick fix all the knobs need to be functioning as well and there should be knobs on all of the areas that require knobs yes believe it or not I've seen several properties without those knobs on the cook top burner and by the way they all should match all right people we need to clean our oven so when the inspector's there we shouldn't have Grime on the bottom and some of you have those electrical digital whatever ovens and the buttons all worn out so a couple things you can call the manufacturer to see if you can get um a new cover plate installed or if it really isn't functioning this might be an area where you might want to replace your oven or whatever Appliance that's in your kitchen that isn't working properly once again you don't need to get a new one you can get something slightly used refurbished or something that has a scratch or Dent at a discounted price we're not selling a brand new property here okay what's up with these garbage disposals okay so look under your make sure they're not leaking or peeing on the ground or have a horrible smell and when you push the little button that they don't make a god- awful sound that garbage disposal will need to be working once again the less that comes up on a home inspection report the better this comes up in just about every home inspection and that is the air gap for the dishwasher needs to be installed now I don't have one in my house cuz I think it looks ugly but it does help with sanitation issues the back it doesn't back blow or do whatever so if you don't have that and installed it might be something you want to consider if you're selling your property some people have been successful with installing it under the sink once again talk to your plumber but that will come up if it's not installed your home inspector will literally open every cabinet every door every drawer every side gate so all of these need to open and close with ease those child safety garage door sensors need to be functioning properly it really is a safety issue so if the garage doors coming down and you walk underneath it it should automatically retract and if it's not get it repaired it's usually a really quick repair handyman can usually come out and you know make sure the little things are lined properly but make sure that's working before a home inspection it will come up if you have a pool you have problems H there's so many regulations with pool I've never ever had any homeowner ever pass a clean inspection on the home inspection so you know they're going to have safety rules with the gates around the pool and the doors all have to latch you know there's going to be coping issues more than likely on the pool there might even be a leak in the pool so when you're looking at a pool make sure the water level is the same all the way around the pool there's a lot of settling that occurs over the years but that saltwater cartridge might need replacement that pump might have seen better days there's always something leaking and peeing somewhere in the pool equipment area so before you put your house on the market I would suggest hiring a pool expert other than the person who's maintaining your pool equipment currently you want a second opinion and the reason why I would recommend doing this is because you know you're probably going to have an issue if you disclose it up front or give a credit up front way better than having the buyer find this out on their own and be overwhelmed with what they do find now if you don't have any issues and some of the repairs are easy to do then I'm going to suggest you do that but this is an area if you do own a pool people will pay a premium for your property because you have one and they do expect all these saying to be in working order it is customary in my area for the seller to provide the buyer a termite report and what that report really discloses is the living organisms that are found on the property it's not just termites it could be mold it could be mildew it could be beehives that are on the property rodents Etc so order that in advance and if you're a homeowner look under those sinks look for mold look for mealo and keep an eye out for those rodents because it will come up in an inspection home inspector will check the water pressure on the property I always suggest buying a water pressure gauge I actually bought this on Amazon it's very inexpensive and this is good for any homeowner or any buyer you want to check the water pressure on your property regularly you can always adjust the water pressure from your water pressure regulator either up or down but if the water pressure from the street into the house is really low there's nothing you can do about it so buy one of these and if your water pressure is too high or too low try to get it remedied before the home inspection check your stair railings are they loose and if they are make sure you secure and tighten them and in my area we had a new regulation where the railings are supposed to be higher than they were in previous years probably nothing you can do about it if you're selling a house but you can at least make sure that the stair railings are secure where if anybody were to lean on it they're not going to collapse check your shower diverter that's that little guy that you pull up and then you know it switches from the bathtub to the shower for some reason when you pull those up a lot of water still comes out and the home inspector will call that out it's a relatively inexpensive fix you can probably get a handyman to do it but that comes up on a lot of Home Inspections toilets aren't secured properly on the ground I don't know what it is with those little guys but they always seem to come loose so check those toilets and then also while you're there make sure your toilet isn't leaking so there's a lot of bathrooms in the house that maybe you don't use but listen very closely if they're leaking get them adjusted if you have those popcorn ceilings make sure you get them tested before you put your house on the market I would say get them scraped we know there's pros and cons of doing that but most importantly make sure they're not hazardous okay really important to get those checked it will come up in a home inspection roofs are very important in fact your home inspector is more than likely going to recommend to the buyer to have a roof expert come out to evaluate the roof on the property so before you even get to that point why don't you call your own roof expert out and have them deem the property and good working order often times these roofing experts will make some corrections and give a you know 5year warranty on the property which will save you a lot of time a lot of Hassle and will give the buyer confidence to move forward this is a big ticket item and if you're a seller I would address it before you even put your house on the market check the fence lines very closely because your inspector will spend a lot of time evaluating the condition of your fence now in my area it's very common to have the homeowner share the burden 50/50 with their neighbor for replacement or repair so if you have a neighbor that doesn't want to cooperate with you then you're going to have to disclose that so so maybe you get a quote or maybe you get it repaired on your own but it will come up in a home inspection I know I sound like a broken record here but the less that comes up on that Home Inspection the better the market is changing and your buyers don't want to be stuck with these deferred maintenance items so get it done ahead of time make sure your trees and shrubs are trimmed if the tree limb is over the rooftop or leaning against a wall your home inspector more than likely will scare your buyer and tell them about all the ronit and all the possums and all these horror stories about animals coming and intruding and taking over a property which they are right so you want to minimize that have your trees or shrubs cut away from the house it's a good maintenance for the house and for your neighboring properties as well the inspector will inspect the rain gutter so make sure those are cleaned out this literally comes up on every home inspection and that is the soil on the exterior of the house is too high up on the weep screed so just pull that back it looks ugly but it will pass an inspection they just don't want water intrusion into the property go look it up if you have no idea what I'm talking about it is a big deal and it will come up fireplace damper clip they're never on any property that I've ever sold they come up on every Home Inspection so needless to say they're very um inexpensive to purchase and relatively easy to install there needs to be a fire rated door from the inside of the house out to the garage and it should automatically shut now a lot of homeowners take that automatic garage door shutting device off their door because when they bring groceries in they don't want the door slamming on them but that voids the effectiveness of that fire rated door along with that doggy door so if you put a doggy door into this fire rated door it's it's not up to code a broken or cracked trust in an addict has come up for me for some of my sellers here this last year and there are things you can do about it if you're a homeowner and know this exists on your property I would highly suggest that you get a structural engineer to come out assess the situation make some recommendation there are some methods to help offload you know the trust there's this thing called the sister method for example um but you know taking your whole roof off and putting new beams on and securing the property is not financially advantageous um but you know if you know this exists then get it fixed ahead of time you don't want to scare your buyer off and if it comes up in a home inspection and you didn't know just know this isn't the end of the world but better to get ahead of it sooner later so I would even go hop up in your attic maybe get a general contractor to look in your attic or even some structural areas of the house if you're worried about it check the sewer line I did not put that on my checklist that I will link down below so make sure you add this one to the list if you're a homeowner you want to make sure your sewage lines are you know not clogged they don't have roots or any blockage in the line the last thing you want is to have your buyer move into the property have some blockage and they find out that you've had a history of this so if you're a homeowner get that cleared out and have it inspected and if you don't want to do that if you're a buyer make sure you get this looked at it really is an important thing to evaluate depending on where you live radon might be an issue the home inspector might recommend that an expert come out to evaluate the radon issues if you go on Amazon there are some radon kits that you might want to buy to test the property out yourself but um do realize that if your neighbors have issues or if you hear grumblings it should be something that you will want to you know address and it will come up in a home inspection if your area is affected by it now this home inspector is not going to be calling out cosmetic defects however your buyer really cares about those things so if there's paint imperfections or if there's scuff marks on the floors or if there's scratches on the doors the home inspector more than likely will not put that in their report they might point it out but if you are a home seller I would address these issues your home inspector will more than likely not check any of your exterior components so like the garden lighting the sprinkler systems the barbecue if there's any heaters that are installed at the patio cover they're not going to check those components so you're going to want to make sure those are operational the buyers will care about those things and for some reason that barbecue igniter never works okay and the answer isn't oh just get a lighter stick it in there it works fine no get that battery replaced at that barbecue igniter you might have to replace the entire ignit if it's not functioning properly it's about $150 and while you're at it clean that barbecue those things are always gross and of course if your sprinklers aren't operational or your Lighting on the exterior is not operational get those working as well your buyer might come to the property with their Gardener or an electrician and you want those things in good working order if you have a fountain on your property more than likely the home inspector is not going to inspect the fountain but make sure it's working make sure that pumps working and if it's not you know repairable then either take the fountain away because whatever is on that property your buyer is going to want to have functioning so you know plant plants in it if you want to make it look good and it's not functioning but if it's just sitting there decaying and dying your buyer will expect it to be working or they may even ask for replacement or a credit for it also on the exterior if you have a fireplace or a fire pit that home inspector more than likely won't check that either how however your buyer will probably ask you to make sure to demonstrate that it is working so if you have these components on your property make sure they're working your home inspector won't move furniture around or look under rugs or move things around in the garage to do their evaluation they will write on the report that their inspection is limited because of the personal belongings of the homeowner so if you're a homeowner you want to clear out as much as you possibly can and work with that home inspector with their investigation so if you have a rug in your property like I do and it's a little discolored you're going to make sure that you disclose that on your seller disclosure so the buyer isn't surprised and if you have a garage that is packed full of junk you're going to want to remove that as much as you can you want to have a fair evaluation of your property when that inspector is on site the last thing you want is you move off the property your buyer comes in and does their final walk through and then there's all these surprises there's scratches on the floor there's you know mold growing on the side of a wall in the garage by the water heater so that's a really really important to note you're not trying to hide anything from the home inspector you're not trying to hide anything from the buyer and quite frankly most the items that come up on a home inspection the seller is not privy to so the more that you do this research and the more that you cooperate with the home inspector the better my name is Audrey Lambert I'm one of the top selling agents here in Orange County California please reach out to me with any of your questions and of course if you have any suggestions on any ideas that you want me to discuss on my Channel please let me know okay that was a lot of information I know it's overload it takes me a lot of work to do this as well and by the way if you got any benefit out of this video please smash that like button subscribe to my channel it would mean the world to me and of course I appreciate you watching this video I hope it was beneficial and I look forward to seeing you in the next video thanks so much for your support and have a lovely [Music] day

Channel: Audra Lambert, Realtor

Views: 80,012

Keywords: Audra Lambert, home inspection, real estate tips, how to buy a house, home inspection tips, real estate, home inspection walkthrough, home inspection tips for buyers, home inspector, buying an old house, home inspection training, real estate for beginners, real estate business, real estate mindset, audra lambert realtor, audra lambert mistakes, Fix these items to avoid a bad home inspection, avoid a bad home inspection, Home Inspection Check List REVISED, bad home inspection

Id: x30AVw2jpIE

Length: 23min 28sec (1408 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 22 2023