Preparing Your Home for Sale: Home Inspection Checklist
Preparing Your Home for Sale: Flow Right's Home Inspection Checklist
Ensure your upcoming home sale goes as smoothly as possible by following this handy home inspection checklist focused on critical home systems. The process of selling a home is nerve racking. So many steps in the process can go wrong when you least expect it, delaying closing or putting the entire sale of the home in peril. Too often, homeowners will get all the way to the certified home inspection, only to discover they have thousands of dollars in repairs that must be made before the lender will agree to fund the buyer. Some of the most common reasons for failing an inspection include:
- Roofing/siding
- Foundation
- Damaged plumbing
- Mold
- Outdated wiring or electrical panel
- Outdated furnace/leaking or damaged furnace
- Water heater
- Gas lines
If you are planning to sell your home in the future, it is imperative that you get an honest assessment of the integrity of your home so you can make repairs before you put it on the market. This home inspection checklist tackles three key systems in your home: Electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
- Electrical Inspection
Electrical home inspections ensure that the electrical panel, wiring, outlets and fixtures are all operating safely. The Electrical Safety Foundation notes that faulty electrical infrastructure causes upwards of 50,000 fires each year. The total for repairing the damage caused by those fires is estimated to be more than one billion dollars. It’s easy to see why well-maintained electrical systems are a priority for prospective homebuyers, mortgage lenders and insurance companies. Your electrician can provide you with a thorough electrical safety inspection.
Electrical Inspection Checklist
Electrical Panel
- Is it up to code?
- Is it outdated?
- Are there any issues with the breakers or wiring to the panel?
- Is everything labeled clearly?
- Is the panel located in an accessible location?
Outlets
- Are your outlets installed properly?
- Are they in safe locations in the home?
- Do they work with common plugs?
- Do you have GFCI protection in the proper locations?
- Does the GFCI function as it is supposed to?
- Are exterior outlets properly protected from the elements?
- Are they right for the job? For example, do your electric oven and dryer have amps they need to perform safely?
Fixtures
- Do you have loose connections?
- Are your ceiling fans properly installed?
- Do you have flickering lights, brownouts or no power at all?
- Are the switches for your light fixtures installed properly in the right locations?
Wiring
- If you have an older home, is your wiring loose?
- Are there exposed wires?
- Does your home have aluminum wiring?
- Does your home have knob/tube wiring?
A licensed electrician can inspect all of these areas and provide you with a punch list and an estimate for the cost of repairs. You may not have any at all. But you will have peace of mind that your electrical system won’t cause you to fail a pre-sale inspection.
- HVAC Inspection
HVAC is another big make-or-break system when it comes to achieving your home inspection certification during the selling process. HVAC failures like a broken furnace can lead to frozen pipes in the winter or a sweltering hot house in the summer. These challenges are in addition to the potential for fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, or air contamination. You will find it far more difficult to close the sale if any of the HVAC is not at 100%. Hiring a professional HVAC technician will help you detect potential problems much faster than trying to inspect your system on your own.
HVAC Inspection Checklist
Full Furnace Inspection
- Age of furnace
- Connections
- Heat exchange
- Furnace filter
- Fan
- Motor
- Fuel lines
- Clean chimney, vents, burners
- Electrical connections
AC Inspection
- Age of AC unit
- Heat pump
- Drain lines
- Condenser
- Thermostat
- Coils
- Leaks
- Coolant
- Electrical connections
Hydronic Heating Inspection
- Age of system
- Leaks
- Rust/corrosion
- Burners
- Fuel supply
- Radiators
- Baseboard heating
- Heated floors
- Hydronic piping
- Valves
- Pressure
- Water quality
- Safety
You may also want to schedule a duct cleaning service before selling your home. It will improve HVAC efficiency and air quality and add more incentive for potential buyers.
- Plumbing Inspection
If you have ever had the misfortune to have a plumbing emergency, you know just how damaging water can be. It can be even more frustrating to discover the damage from a plumbing problem you didn’t know you had. Water is incredibly destructive. It can damage your foundation, belongings, walls, floors and so much more. It can also generate catastrophic mold and mildew or harbor harmful bacteria. Before you make the decision to put the house on the market, you should absolutely schedule a home plumbing inspection with a licensed plumber.
Plumbing Inspection Checklist
Water Heater
- Safety
- Safety
- Pilot light
- Ignition switch
- Pressure
- Drain tank
- Thermostat
- Venting
- Anode
Fixtures
- Leaky faucets
- Leaky shower heads
- Low pressure
- Mineral build-up
- Staining on sinks or tubs
- Exterior outlets
Drains
- Slow drains
- Remove clogs
- Check dishwasher
- Check under sinks and around toilet/tub for leaks
- Strong odors
- Backups
- Sewer line camera/plumbing camera inspection
- Hot jetting sewer lines
- Inspect yard for sunken spots/puddles
Pipes
- Age
- Material
- Rust/corrosion
- Leaks
- Splits/frozen pipes
- Mold
- Standing water
- Pressure
- Slow
Sprinkler System
- Control panel
- Wiring
- Valves
- Pressure
- Sprinkler heads
- Pipes
- Sensors
- Backflow
- Fittings
- Leaks
- Dead spots
- Standing water
A plumbing/home inspection can discover a lot of problems known to hold up home sales or even force homeowners to take their homes off the market. Mold is a particularly bad problem that can take extensive renovations to restore the home to a safe condition. The slow and quiet damage that water can do makes this an extremely important task.
Be Prepared! Proactive Home System Inspections Prevent Delayed Sales
Following these steps in selling a home can prevent frustrating surprises at the worst possible moment. They will also give you a realistic understanding of your final profit because you will have already invested in the repairs or adjusted the selling price. Save yourself the stress and frustration of a delayed or canceled close by having your key systems — electrical, HVAC and plumbing — inspected before you put your home on the market.
Give Flow Right a call to schedule inspections for your HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems. We’ll help you get your home sale-ready! And, check out EZCare, Flow Right’s subscription maintenance plan for your most important systems. Keep your home sale-ready all year long with multiple plan options!